Joshua Weitz, Child Pornography, New Mexico 2023

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Table of Contents

Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Child Pornography

Russell Young, a 39-year-old sex offender from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges. Young was serving a term of supervised release from a prior child pornography conviction when he was arrested in 2018.

According to the FBI, Young was convicted of receiving child pornography in 2011 and was sentenced to 77 months of imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release. However, in 2017, Young was found to have violated the terms of his supervised release by possessing cellular smartphones with internet access.

During a change of plea hearing, Young admitted to distributing and possessing child pornography. He admitted to sending an image containing child pornography to another individual through social media in November 2017 and possessing multiple images of child pornography on his smartphone.

Young faces enhanced penalties for his crimes due to his prior child pornography conviction. On the distribution charge, Young faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years. On the possession charge, Young faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years and a maximum of 20 years.

The case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Young’s case also highlights the importance of community efforts to target violent, repeat offenders for federal prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to make communities in New Mexico safer places for people to live and work.