Convicted NM sex offender facing federal child pornography charges

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — A U.S. magistrate judge found probable cause to support a criminal complaint Monday charging a New Mexico man with federal child pornography charges.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case.

Timothy J. Martin, 32, from Taos, New Mexico, was released to a halfway house pending trial and will be under pretrial supervision and other conditions of release.

Martin was arrested Friday on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed, received and distributed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity between January and July 2016, in Taos County, New Mexico.

According to the criminal complaint, the investigation into Martin began in September 2015 when HSI special agents received a report identifying a shared computer network that was being used to share child pornography files. On Jan. 3, investigators identified an Internet Protocol address subscribed to Martin at his residential address that allegedly was being used to download child pornography files. On July 28, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Martin’s residence and seized a laptop computer that was allegedly used to download and view child pornography.

If convicted of receiving or distributing child pornography, Martin faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, and a maximum of life in prison. If convicted of possessing child pornography, he faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. Martin faces enhanced penalties because of his prior sex-related conviction. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations; criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

New Mexico State Police and the Taos Police Department assisted with this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathon M. Gerson, District of New Mexico, is prosecuting this case.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.