New Mexico Man Sentenced for Attempt to Transfer Obscene Matter to A Minor

EL PASO – A New Mexico man was sentenced last week to 36 months in prison for attempting to distribute obscene matter to a minor in violation of Title 18, Section 1470 of the United States Code, which strictly prohibits such actions.

According to court documents, Alfredo Ramos, 24, engaged in sexually explicit and obscene text conversations with someone he thought to be 13 years old.  In reality, Ramos was texting an undercover employee from the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Squad.

 “Our office treats the protection of children as an extraordinarily serious responsibility, and as this case demonstrates, we will persist in our efforts to ensure that those who prey on minors are found and held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff.  “I am thankful for the work of our prosecutors and the efforts of our law enforcement partners.”

“We have zero tolerance for individuals who intend to take away the innocence of our children by making them victims of a sexual crime,” said Jeffrey R. Downey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “I want to thank the members of the FBI El Paso’s Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force for preventing Ramos from meeting an undercover employee whom he believed was a thirteen-year-old, he met via social media, for sex. This case is another reminder for all of us to remain vigilant about our children’s online behavior and social media presence.”

On June 13, 2022, Ramos pleaded guilty to one count of attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor.

The FBI, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division and El Paso County Constable’s Offices Precinct One and Precinct Six, investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Dos Santos prosecuted 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

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