Previously Convicted Child Sex Offender from Albuquerque Sentenced to 25 Years for Federal Child Pornography Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE –David Abrisz, 56, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon in federal court to 25 years in federal prison followed by ten years of supervised release for his conviction on child pornography charges.  Abrisz will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.  Abrisz also was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the victims of his crimes.

Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, III, said that Abrisz, a previously convicted child sex offender, was prosecuted under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, 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 target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

“The exploitation of children on the Internet has no geographical or jurisdictional boundaries and requires that we share information and work as a team to protect our children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney. “This case is an example of the law enforcement community’s commitment to identifying, locating and prosecuting predators who exploit children and undermine the normalization of child sexual abuse.”

“The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is committed to collaborating with federal agencies to proactively investigate crimes against children,” said Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, III.  “As recent high profile events have shown us, adults who fantasize about sexual relations with kids can turn deadly.  Let this serve as a warning to all those who seek out children as victims, we are dedicated to identifying anyone who preys on children and we will hold those who commit these repulsive crimes accountable.”

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office arrested Abrisz in Aug. 2016, on an indictment charging him with one count of distributing child pornography and three counts of possessing child pornography.  The indictment charged Abrisz with distributing child pornography from July 2013 through Dec. 2015, and possessing child pornography on two computers and a thumb drive from Aug. 2014 through Feb. 2016.  Abrisz committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.

Abrisz pled guilty to the indictment on June 28, 2017.  In entering the guilty plea, Abrisz admitted committing the following criminal acts:  (i) distributing approximately 80 child pornography files between July 2013 and Dec. 2015; (ii) possessing a computer that contained approximately two video files and 880 image files of child pornography from Dec. 2014 through Feb. 2015; (iii) possessing a second computer that contained approximately 145 image files of child pornography from Dec. 2014 through Feb. 2015; and (iii) possessing a thumb drive that contained approximately 147 video files and one image file of child pornography from Aug. 2014 through Feb. 2015.

This case was investigated by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 Child  hood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.