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Corrections Officer Charged for Child Pornography
A Rio Rancho corrections officer has been charged with possession of child pornography.
Craig Barnish, a 43-year-old corrections officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center, made an initial appearance in federal court today facing a charge of possession of child pornography.
According to a criminal complaint, in January of 2021, Barnish allegedly participated in a group chat on the Kik social media app in which he allegedly commented on two videos depicting a nude child.
Later that day in the same Kik group chat, Barnish allegedly uploaded a video depicting child pornography. After Barnish was identified as the user participating in the Kik group chat, he allegedly possessed multiple video files on his cellphone depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Barnish faces up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office is investigating this case with assistance from the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting 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.
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.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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