A grand jury in Arizona charged a U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol agent Tuesday with producing and distributing child pornography and possessing an illegal firearm, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Nereo Mejia Gomez, Jr., 41, of Yuma, faces one count of production of child pornography, multiple counts of distribution and possession of child pornography, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona said in a statement. He reportedly was released pending trial.
Gomez produced pornographic materials involving a girl from Nov. 2022 to Mar. 2023, when the girl was aged 15 and 16 respectively, knowing the materials would be distributed within and outside the U.S., the allegations in the court papers revealed. He allegedly also distributed related materials involving a minor five times between Feb. and Mar. 2024. Authorities allegedly found Gomez in possession of such materials, including one showing “a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age,” with the alleged intention to view them, according to the court papers.
Gomez also possessed a short-barreled L.A.R. MFG Grizzly-15 not registered to him, as alleged in the papers. (RELATED: Former Border Patrol Agent Jailed After Trying To Sell Fake Immigration Docs To Illegal Migrant)
Border Patrol Agent Indicted for Child Pornography and Exploitation Offenses @HSIArizona https://t.co/KbDDqZzJgA pic.twitter.com/2njahgENsE
— US Attorney Arizona (@USAO_AZ) May 10, 2024
Gomez was an agent at the Yuma Sector of the Border Patrol, the state attorney’s office’s statement implied. The sector was cooperating with Homeland Security Investigations regarding the case.
Gomez could be imprisoned for 15-30 years if found guilty of production of child pornography and up to 20 years for each count of distributing and possessing child pornography, according to the statement.
“Possession of an Unregistered Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All child exploitation counts also carry a potential fine of up to $250,000 and a lifetime term of supervised release,” the statement added.
