Chad F. Summers, Receipt of Child Pornography, New Mexico 2023

A prior sex offender has pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge in New Mexico.

Chad F. Summers, 40, of Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty to receipt of a visual depiction of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales, along with Special Agent in Charge Dennis A. Ulrich, II, of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Chief Robert W. Shilling of the New Mexico State Police (NMSP), and Chief Ray Schultz of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).

Summers was arrested on February 12, 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that he received and possessed child pornography in Bernalillo County, N.M., between August 2012 and February 2013. The complaint also charged Summers with unlawfully possessing a firearm on February 12, 2013.

At the time, Summers was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of child pornography offenses in an Oregon state court. On March 5, 2013, Summers was indicted and charged with three counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The investigation revealed that an IP Address subscribed to Summers was being used to offer child pornography images and videos through a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. Summers acknowledged voluntarily participating in a recorded interview on February 12, 2013, during which he admitted downloading child pornography images of preteens.

Summers faced the enhanced penalty of a mandatory minimum 15-year prison sentence because of his prior child pornography conviction. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Summers will be sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Summers also will be required to register as a sex offender. He will be required to forfeit his computers, computer-media, and firearm.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI, NMSP, and APD and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlyn E. Rees. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico.

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