Former headmaster of Las Cruces Middle School sentenced to 11 years in prison for child pornography | USAO-NM

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Joel Aguilar Villanueva, 45, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was sentenced today to 11 years and three months in prison by federal court for transporting a portrait of a minor showing sexually explicit behavior. Villanueva pleaded guilty on November 8, 2019.

According to the settlement agreement and other court records, Villanueva, who was the principal of a middle school in Las Cruces, uploaded a video from an electronic device to Twitter on October 23, 2018. The video showed a child committing a sexual act with an adult and was posted with the comment “aprenden rapido”, which translates into English as “they learn quickly”.

After his release from prison, Villanueva must be released under custody for five years and must register as a sex offender.

The Las Cruces Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office, with assistance from the New Mexico State Police, Las Cruces Police Department, and the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, is investigating the case. U.S. Assistant Attorney Marisa A. Ong was pursuing the case through Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in May 2006 to address the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse to fight. Led by U.S. attorneys and the Department of Exploitation and Profanity of the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood provides state, state, and local resources to better locate, arrest, and prosecute those who exploit children online track and identify and rescue victims. More information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at http://www.justice.gov/psc/.