May 8 — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced Wednesday that three people have been arrested as part of an ongoing statewide investigation into child sexual abuse facilitated by a handful of social media messaging platforms.
The investigation — which Torrez called “Operation MetaPhile” — is linked to an ongoing lawsuit his agency filed against technology company Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Since December, the department’s agents have been posing as children to track down “pedophiles and predators” who use the tech giant’s social media platforms “to hunt, groom, target and potentially victimize minor children,” a statement said. he declared Wednesday during a press conference at the State. Department of Justice office in Albuquerque.
Torrez announced his office has filed criminal charges against men from Farmington, Grants and Roswell. The charges include solicitation of children by means of an electronic device and attempted criminal sexual penetration of a minor.
Torrez said he had an overall message about the investigation: “It’s Mark ZuckerbergIt’s the fault.”
The state Department of Justice announced in December that it had filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms Inc., alleging that the company’s widely used social media platforms knowingly facilitate child sexual abuse and distribution of child pornography.
Torrez said Wednesday that the company is putting its “profits ahead of children’s safety” and that “parents should be aware of the real danger and harm of using these platforms.”
Among the men arrested were:
Fernando Clyde, 52, and Marlon Kellywood, 29, both charged with solicitation of a child under 13 using an electronic device and attempted criminal sexual penetration of a minor. They were both arrested Tuesday at a Gallup motel, where they are accused of arriving with the intent to rape a child.
Christopher Reynolds, 47, was arrested April 23 for solicitation of a child under 13 using an electronic device.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Check back for more details.
