FBI Arrests in NM: Child Enticement Sentence, Drug Trafficking Operation, Assault Indictment, and Escape Guilty Plea

Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Eric McLoughlin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations - El Paso, announced that Alfonso Salcido Herrera, Jr. was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Herrera, 46, of Alamogordo, pleaded guilty in federal court to enticement of a minor on March 30, 2023.

According to publicly available court records, beginning in 2019 until May 2022, Herrera groomed and repeatedly sexually abused four children who were between nine and 13 years old at the time.

Upon his release from prison, Herrera will be subject to 5 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with assistance from the Alamogordo Police Department and the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and Joni Autrey Stahl are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought 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.

Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, and Chief Jeremy Story, Las Cruces Police Department, announced the results of a coordinated enforcement operation in Las Cruces.

According to the search warrant affidavit, the FBI and the Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency were investigating the distribution of methamphetamine out of the Desert Lodge Motel on West Picacho Avenue in Las Cruces. In February and March of 2024, agents orchestrated controlled buys at the motel.

On March 12th, agents executed the search warrant and seized fentanyl, methamphetamine and a firearm from the motel.

The federal search was conducted in conjunction with five other New Mexico state search warrants executed by the Las Cruces Police Department. As a result of the operation, six individuals were arrested on state charges.

“We stand with our local partners to confront drug trafficking at every level,” said U.S. Attorney Uballez. “Through strong partnerships and close collaboration, we will bring justice and peace to our streets.”

"Collaborative law enforcement efforts will continue to identify and disrupt drug trafficking organizations bringing violence to our streets," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda. “Investigations like this prove the essential value of strong law enforcement partnerships and working together to meet a common goal.”

“This operation is a visible reminder of the amazing work that is being done between local, state, and federal agencies every day to address the violence and crime in our communities,” said LCPD Chief Jeremy Story. “These efforts make a difference in our city, and we will continue to work together to make Las Cruces and New Mexico safer.”

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case in collaboration with the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Armijo is assisting with the investigation.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Bosque Farms man with assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

According to the indictment, on Sept. 22, 2023, Richard Jaramillo, 42, of Bosque Farms and an enrolled member of Pueblo of Isleta, assaulted John Doe and the assault resulted in serious bodily injury. Jaramillo appeared in federal court for an initial appearance where the Court temporarily detained Jaramillo pending a detention hearing, which is scheduled for March 19, 2024. If convicted, Jaramillo faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today. The Isleta Police Department investigated, and Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting this case.

Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that William Valencia pleaded guilty in federal court to escape from custody. Valencia, 33, of Paguete, New Mexico, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Valencia was convicted in January 2020 for assault of an intimate partner by strangling and suffocating and sentenced to 75 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Valencia was placed at the Dismas Charities Diersen Residential Reentry Center in Albuquerque to serve the last 6 months of his custodial sentence. On July 27, 2023, Valencia left the facility without permission and failed to return. On Oct. 6, 2023, Valencia was arrested by the Albuquerque Police Department for possession of a controlled substance and was taken into federal custody on Oct. 10, 2023.

At sentencing, Valencia faces up to five years in prison.

The United States Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Pecoraro prosecuted the case.

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