Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to Update his Sex Offender Registration

ALBUQUERQUE – Anthony F. Romero, Jr., 37, of Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court to violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).  The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and U.S. Marshal Conrad E. Candelaria.

SORNA, also known as the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act, requires that a convicted sex offender register in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is employed, or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.

Romero was arrested on May 26, 2015, on an indictment charging him with violating SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration in Bernalillo County, N.M.

Today, Romero pled guilty to a felony information and admitted that his last registration as a sex offender was on Nov. 20, 2014, and that at the time of his arrest on May 26, 2015, he had not renewed nor attempted to renew his registration.

At sentencing, Romero faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release.  Romero will also be required to register as a sex offender following his term of incarceration.  Romero remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.