New Mexico man sentenced to 25 years for producing child sexual abuse material following HSI El Paso investigation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A New Mexico man was sentenced to 25 years in prison following an Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso investigation.

The New Mexico State Police and the Truth or Consequences Police Department assisted with the investigation.

James Dooly Pollock, 39, pleaded guilty in federal court on July 13, 2022, to production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

On Dec. 30, 2021, the father of a 14-year-old victim submitted his daughter’s cellphone to the Truth or Consequences Police Department and reported that it contained a video of an adult male having sex with the victim. After obtaining the father’s permission and a search warrant, officials transferred the cellphone to the New Mexico State Police for extraction of the phone’s contents. Approximately eight videos of Pollock and the victim were found within WhatsApp chats; there was also a message where Pollock told the victim, “You need to get an appslock app to hide things on your phone.”

Upon his release from prison, Pollock will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clara Cobos and Marisa Ong are prosecuting 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.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about our mission to eradicate child predators in the community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIElPaso.