A Pojoaque man, Alexander John Duran, 30, has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. According to the indictment, Duran allegedly engaged in and attempted to engage in sexual acts with a child under the age of 12 between December 21, 2021, and February 23, 2022.
Duran is an enrolled member of Pojoaque Pueblo. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life imprisonment.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office.
The case is being investigated by the Albuquerque-Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. This nationwide initiative was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood is led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS and aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice.gov/PSC.