For Immediate Release:
May 24, 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 Joshua Vigil. Vigil had
previously been charged with multiple counts of child exploitation and criminal sexual
penetration. After successfully detaining Mr. Vigil, the New Mexico Office of the Attorney
General continued investigating the Defendant for other potential crimes against
children. According to court documents, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)
Task Force at the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General received information from
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Vigil was uploading child
sexual abuse material. Further investigation by the Albuquerque Police Department
uncovered information that Joshua Vigil had been sexually abusing a child, made video
recordings of that abuse, and uploaded those videos to an internet account.
“My office will always seek to protect children from abuse,” said Attorney General
Balderas. “We are grateful to the brave survivors for their courage, and we look forward
to presenting this case at trial.”
Joshua Vigil was arrested as a result of cooperation between federal and local law
enforcement on January 26, 2021. Following a two day, in-person preliminary hearing,
the district court found probable cause to believe Vigil committed 17 charges, including
counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor and multiple counts of child exploitation
by manufacturing child sexual abuse material. After continued investigation, Mr. Vigil was
indicted on four additional charges, including manufacturing and possession of child
sexual abuse material on May 21, 2021.
Vigil will continue to remain in custody awaiting trial because the court granted the
Attorney General’s motion for pretrial detention on his prior case. The charges contained
in the information bound over for trial and the subsequent indictment are only 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. Vigil faces 223.5 years of potential
incarceration
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque Police Department in coordination with
the Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services, and
the US Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General
Caitlin Dillon, Jonathan Gardner, and Mark Probasco.
