For Immediate Release:
June 4, 2021
Contact: Matt Baca — (505) 270-7148
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that
additional charges of child exploitation have been filed against Jordan Padilla. Padilla had
previously been charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child
under 13 years of age, false imprisonment, and sexual exploitation of children among
other charges. After successfully detaining Mr. Padilla, the New Mexico Office of the
Attorney General continued investigating for other potential crimes of sexual exploitation
of children.
“Children deserve the full protection of the law,” said Attorney General Balderas. “Our
office will continue to zealously pursue justice in cases involving the sexual exploitation
of children.”
Padilla will continue to remain in custody awaiting trial because the court granted the
Attorney General’s motion for pretrial detention on his prior case. Trial in that case is
currently set for June 21, 2021. The charges contained in the indictment and the new
indictment are allegations; a person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is
proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Mr. Padilla faces
130 years of potential incarceration on the new charges.
This case was investigated by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. The case
is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Caitlin Dillon and Mark Probasco. To
report missing children or child sexual exploitation material, call the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) or through
their Cybertipline at https://report.cybertip.org/index.htm. For more information regarding
the Office of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit or for more
information about how to report suspected child exploitation see
https://www.nmag.gov/internet-crimes-against-children.aspx