Norwalk Man Charged with Child Exploitation Offenses

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that MARCOS FRANCISCO JAVIER GOMEZ, 23, of Norwalk, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with multiple child exploitation offenses.

As alleged in court documents, on April 3, 2024, Gomez was arrested by the Putnam County (N.Y.) Sheriff's Office after he had traveled to New York to meet with a 13-year-old girl with whom Gomez had engaged in sexually explicit communications via text messages, FaceTime, and various social media applications. Subsequent court-authorized searches of Gomez's cellphone revealed evidence that Gomez had been communicating with at least five minor females in Connecticut, had recorded himself engaging in sexual activity with four of these minor victims, had requested that the minor victims send him videos depicting them engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and had sent obscene images of himself to at least one of the minor victims. Gomez typically met his minor victims through Snapchat.

The complaint charges Gomez with production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of life; receipt or attempted receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; possession or attempted possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and transfer of obscene materials to a minor, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Gomez, who has been serving a New York state prison sentence related to his conduct with the 13-year-old minor victim in New YorkLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and was ordered detained.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Putnam County (N.Y.) Sherrif's Office, the Norwalk Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Watertown Police Department, and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings

U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the State's Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit https://www.cybertipline.comLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..