CONCORD – U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Michael Gutierrez, 34, of Pomona, CA, pleaded guilty to five counts of producing child pornography involving four New Hampshire minors.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Gutierrez contacted minor females in New Hampshire through social media and initiated conversations with them. Gutierrez represented himself to be a 14-year-old female and used the usernames of “Chloe_is_Awesum,” “spamaccount.c” and “Doogteg.” Gutierrez persuaded the minor females to send him sexually explicit images. Gutierrez then demanded additional sexually explicit images from the minor females and threatened to distribute the images already provided if the minor females did not comply. Gutierrez collected the images in 2015 and 2016. In late 2016, a mother to one of the victims discovered the demands made by Gutierrez and reported them to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI’s investigation led to the identification of Gutierrez.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 25, 2018.
“Protecting our children from exploitation is a vitally important priority for this office and essential to the well-being of our entire community,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “This case shows how predators can use the anonymity of the internet to manipulate young victims. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who engage in such disturbing conduct.”
“Gutierrez’s offenses are heinous and the impact on his victims is immeasurable. He not only abused and exploited vulnerable children, he re-victimized them over and over again because the horrific images stay in circulation forever,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to do everything in its power to stop children from being exploited and bring to justice those responsible. This case is a great example of the work that can be done when state and federal law enforcement officers collaborate across state lines.”
“This case was a great example of what strong coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors can achieve in protecting our communities from predators who engage in child pornography,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh. Special Agent–In -Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston. “HSI is committed to continuing our fight against these type of predators.”
The FBI the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Goffstown Police Department, the Milford Police Department, the New Boston Police Department, the Mont Vernon Police Department, and the Manchester Police Department all participated in the investigation of this case. Staff from the Hillsborough County Child Advocacy Center also assisted in the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Donald A. Feith and Helen White Fitzgibbon are prosecuting the case.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
