© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Foster Parent Caught in Child-Sex Sting Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Joshua Saavedra, a longtime foster parent from Albuquerque who agreed to trade drugs and money for sex with who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, was sentenced to eight years in prison by Second Judicial District Court Judge Brett Loveless following a guilty plea to the crime of sexual exploitation of children by prostitution.  Here is a statement from the AG's office: In March 2019, agents with the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes against Children/Human Trafficking Unit spearheaded this undercover sting operation by posing as a mother selling sexual access to her 13-year-old daughter online.

 

"Protecting our children from sexual predators remains the top priority for my office," said Attorney General Balderas. "We will continue to investigate and prosecute dangerous adults who are ready and willing to prey upon New Mexican children.” 

 

 

Saavedra answered the agents’ fictitious online ad, engaged in sexual chat with the agents, agreed online to trade sex with the girl for $20 and pills, and arrived at the agreed-upon hotel with the drugs..  When he was arrested, Saavedra claimed he planned to meet the girl to rescue her from an abusive situation since he was also a foster parent. Saavedra will be subject to an indeterminate period of both probation and parole of between five and 20 years and will be required to register as a sex offenderupon his release from prison

 

This case was both investigated and prosecuted by members of the Office of the Attorney General.  Assistant Attorney General Van Snow prosecuted this case.