Red Feather Lakes Resident Indicted and Ordered Held Without Bond for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

DENVER – Eli Traufield, age 42, of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, was ordered held without bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Nina Y. Wang earlier this week after being arrested based on an indictment alleging the distribution and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle announced.  Traufield was indicted on February 23, 2016.  He soon thereafter appeared in court, where he was advised of his rights and the charges pending against him.  He was then arraigned, and at the detention hearing Magistrate Judge Wang ordered the defendant held without bond because she believed he was a flight risk.  Traufield had multiple misdemeanor offenses for which he failed to appear in court.

According to court documents, as well as a proffer before the court, an FBI agent, working in an undercover capacity out of the Minneapolis Field Office, began electronic communications with a Colorado resident who had child pornography to trade.  The agent, posing as someone with similar interests, was able to download multiple videos and photos of child pornography images, all provided by the target turned defendant, Eli Traufield.  Following additional investigation, Denver FBI agents, after obtaining a search warrant, searched Traufield’s cell phone and found that Traufield had emailed himself child pornography so that he could later download it to a file sharing network so he could share it with others.  He also had emailed other people looking for specific child pornography.  There were also multiple chats regarding the defendant’s sexual interest in young girls.

The defendant faces two counts of distribution of child pornography.  If convicted, Traufield faces not less than 5 years, and not more than 20 years in federal prison, as well as up to a $250,000 fine, per count.  He also faces one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a penalty of not more than 10 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The defendant is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Valeria Spencer. 

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.