A New Mexico man has been sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for online child sexual exploitation activities. U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples announced the sentencing of Wesley Alan Crownover, II, aged 37, by U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco.
Crownover received a sentence of 330 months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release after pleading guilty to advertising and selling child pornography in August 2023. He will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents, Crownover was involved with ten online groups focused on child sexual interest. In these groups, he marketed his collection of thousands of images and videos for sale. An undercover FBI agent contacted him within one group, leading to Crownover selling 30 videos containing child sexual abuse material for $25.
Authorities obtained federal complaints and arrest warrants from the Northern District of Alabama and search warrants from the District of New Mexico for Crownover’s residence. When law enforcement arrived at his home, Crownover fled but was later captured in Colorado Springs by the United States Marshals Service.
The investigation was conducted by FBI Birmingham's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with assistance from FBI Albuquerque and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Kristen Osborne.
The public is encouraged to report any suspected child exploitation cases to law enforcement or through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.org.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.