An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to 19 and a half years in federal prison for coercing a 15-year-old girl into producing sexually explicit images over several years and for sexually exploiting a second victim, who was 12 years old. There is no parole in the federal system.
Court records show that between 2019 and 2022, Adrian Puentes, age 26, engaged in an ongoing pattern of sextortion and sexual exploitation involving two minor victims. Beginning when Jane Doe 1 was in eighth grade, Puentes used multiple social media platforms—including Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok—to coerce her into sending sexually explicit photos and videos. He repeatedly threatened to post these materials online for her followers to see if she did not comply. When Jane Doe 1 blocked his accounts, he created new ones to continue the abuse. Over three years, Puentes harassed, manipulated, and threatened Jane Doe 1 by misrepresenting his age and identity; he ultimately posted explicit material of her publicly online.
Puentes also exploited Jane Doe 2, who was 12 years old at the time. Using his cellphone, he communicated with her to request sexually explicit material, sent her money, and arranged meetings at a public park where he engaged in sexual acts with her. As with the first victim, he misrepresented his age.
Puentes pled guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. After serving his sentence, he will be subject to 15 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
"First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today."
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with help from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 that brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders who exploit children online as well as identify victims (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit Justice.gov/PSC (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
