Colorado Man Charged with Federal Child Sexual Exploitation Offense

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, a United States Magistrate Judge found that there was probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Christopher Robert Gray, 20, of Denver, Colorado, with a child sexual exploitation charge. United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Gray was arrested on May 19, 2011, and is charged with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423, traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a person under 18 years of age. If convicted of this offense, Gray faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment. Gray entered a not guilty plea to the offense during this morning’s proceedings, and was released to a third party custodian pending trial.

The criminal complaint filed in the case alleges that, at approximately 9:15 a.m. on May 19, 2011, a campus safety aid observed a person whom she believed to be a student leaving the grounds of an Albuquerque high school during a fire drill. The aid contacted the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and a deputy was dispatched to bring the person, who subsequently was identified as Gray, to the school office where he was interviewed by an Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department (APSPD) officer.

According to the complaint, Gray allegedly told an APSPD officer that he was from Denver, Colorado, and was staying at “Jane Doe’s” residence and sleeping under her bed. Gray allegedly admitted meeting “Jane Doe” on Facebook and knew she was 15 years old, but said that nothing had happened between them. When the APSPD officer inquired about the “hickeys” on Gray’s neck, he admitted kissing “Jane Doe.” The APSPD officer discontinued the interview and contacted the Albuquerque Police Department.

The complaint alleges that “Jane Doe” was interviewed by APD officers. “Jane Doe” allegedly admitted meeting Gray about a month ago on a telephone chat line, and that, thereafter, the two continued to have communication, including communication that was sexual in nature. “Jane Doe” allegedly stated that, although she initially told Gray that she was 18 years old during their telephonic communication, she later told Gray that she was 15 years old. According to “Jane Doe,” on May 10, 2011, Gray told her he was coming to Albuquerque to see her and, when he arrived, he stayed in her room “under [her] bed” to avoid detection. “Jane Doe” alleged that Gray and she engaged in sexual conduct.

The complaint alleges that, in a subsequent interview conducted by a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), “Jane Doe” admitted that Gray arrived at her residence on May 11, 2011; that she let him in through her bedroom window; and that the two engaged in sexual conduct in that room.

The case was investigated by APD with assistance from the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlyn E. Rees. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case also was brought as part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’s (ICAC Task Force) mission to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 61 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies associated with the ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.