A Pojoaque man was sentenced on Apr. 13 to 14 years in federal prison for sexually abusing a minor, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office.
The case involves Alexander John Duran, age 31, who is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Pojoaque. Court records show that between December 2021 and February 2022, Duran engaged in a sexual act with a child under the age of twelve. He later pled guilty to abusive sexual contact.
Upon completion of his prison sentence, Duran will be subject to five years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender. The federal system does not provide parole.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with help from the Pueblo of Pojoaque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting as part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children online and works to identify and rescue victims.
