A U.S. Army soldier, Victor Barnett Lane, has been charged with federal sex crimes involving a minor. The charges include interstate travel for sexual conduct and production of child sexual abuse material. The indictment alleges that between November 2022 and May 2024, Lane coerced a minor into sexual activity, traveled from South Korea to New Mexico for such purposes, and produced imagery related to child sexual abuse.
Lane is currently in custody awaiting trial. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and could be sentenced to life in prison.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Jason T. Stevens, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with support from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division and Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal is handling the prosecution as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.