FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison for coercing a 15-year-old girl into producing sexually explicit images over several years and for sexually exploiting a second victim who was 12 years old.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, between 2019 and 2022, Adrian Puentes, 26, engaged in an ongoing pattern of sextortion and sexual exploitation involving two minor victims. Beginning when Jane Doe 1 was in eighth grade, Puentes used multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok, to coerce her into producing and sending sexually explicit photos and videos of herself.

Puentes repeatedly threatened to post the explicit material online for her social media followers to see if she did not comply, and when Jane Doe 1 blocked his accounts, he created new ones to continue the abuse. Over the course of three years, Puentes harassed, manipulated, and threatened Jane Doe 1, misrepresenting his age and identity and ultimately posting explicit material of her publicly online.

Puentes also exploited a second victim, Jane Doe 2, who was 12 years old. Using his cellphone, he communicated with Jane Doe 2 to request sexually explicit material, sent her money, and arranged to meet her on multiple occasions at a public park, where he engaged in sexual acts with her. As with Jane Doe 1, he misrepresented his age to further the abuse.

Puentes subsequently pled guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. Upon his release from prison, Puentes will be subject to 15 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.