NM man sentenced to 5 years for federal child pornography conviction

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 60-year-old local man was sentenced to five years in federal prison following his child pornography conviction.

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case.

Curtis Caylor's prison sentence is to be followed by five years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

HSI special agents arrested Caylor Dec. 20, 2012 on an indictment charging him with receiving and possessing child pornography. The indictment alleged that Caylor received child pornography on three occasions in September 2011, and that he possessed child pornography in January 2012 in Bernalillo (N.M.) County.

On Aug. 21, 2013, Caylor pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. In his plea agreement, Caylor acknowledged that Jan. 12, 2012, HSI special agents and officers with the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a federal search warrant at his residence seizing computers and computer-related media.

The search warrant was issued based on an undercover investigation by the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) that began in June 2011 which targeted individuals who possessed, received and distributed child pornography. The investigation revealed that an Internet Protocol address subscribed to Caylor's residence was being used to download child pornography images and videos through a peer-to-peer file-sharing program.

Caylor acknowledged that a forensic examination of his computers and computer-related media by HSI and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensics Lab revealed thousands of images and videos consistent with child pornography. He further acknowledged that HSI sent more than 1,000 images and 600 videos to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). A NCMEC preliminary report indicated that of the 600 videos, 154 featured 48 children who have been identified as child pornography victims and have been rescued.

Also assisting HSI with this investigation are the following agencies: NMSP Online Predator Unit, the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, and other members of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa A. Charlyn E. Rees, District of New Mexico.

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 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including producing and distributing online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking children. In fiscal year 2013, HSI agents arrested more than 2,000 individuals under this initiative.

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. 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.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.