A 31-year-old former high school coach in New Mexico has been found guilty of child pornography and coercion of a minor by a federal jury, the U.S. Department of Justice reports.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Johnathon Bindues, of Los Lunas, N.M., guilty on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of production of child pornography, according to a May 5 DOJ news release. Bindues "used his former position at Los Lunas High School as the coach for the girls’ basketball and track teams to gain special access to minor females," the release states. The victim, "Jane Doe," was a freshman member of the teams Bindues coached, according to the release.
“Our children deserve schools and sports free from sexual predation," U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez for the District of New Mexico said in the news release. "I stand in awe of Jane Doe’s bravery, fortitude, and resilience. Her strength in facing her abuser and sharing her story is nothing short of heroic.”
Evidence submitted in court shows that between September 2020 and June 2021, Bindues exchanged more than 17,000 texts with "Jane Doe," requested nude images of the girl and "repeatedly encouraged" her to delete the messages, the release reports. The victim's mother found the sexually explicit messages on the victim's phone and reported the situation to the New Mexico State Police, according to the release.
The FBI and New Mexico State Police investigated the case; and a federal grand jury indicted Bindues on March 23, 2022, the news release reports. United States District Judge James Browning presided over the trial.
Bindues faces 10 years minimum up to life in prison for the charge of coercion and enticement of a minor, and a minimum of 15 years to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography. Bindues must register as a sex offender once release from prison, according to the release.
Amy Kaskel, FBI acting Special Agent in Charge, said in the release that "decisive action" is required when children are exploited and attributed the FBI's "close collaboration" with the N.M. state police for stopping Bindues' abuse of minor girls.
"Those who seek to prey on children will stop at nothing to lull their victims into a false sense of trust and security,” Kaskel said in the news release.
"This man, who was entrusted to mentor young people, was in actuality a predator of vulnerable girls," Kaskell said. "Today’s conviction is one step closer to ensuring he won't be able to victimize children for years to come.”