Former Durango Middle School Teacher Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison After Pleading Guilty To Production Of Child Pornography, Coercion And Enticement Charges

DENVER - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Benjamin Smith, 30, of Durango, was sentenced to forty years in federal prison, and a lifetime of supervision after pleading guilty to a count of production of child pornography, committed against 36 victims; a count of coercion and enticement of minors, committed against 11 minors; and a count of attempted coercion and enticement of minors, committed against eight minors. In total, the defendant admitted to victimizing 37 adolescent boys in the Durango area.

According to the plea agreement and facts established at sentencing, Smith, a former teacher at Escalante Middle School in Durango, posed as a 16-year-old female named "Kristin" on the social media service SnapChat under the username "MTNCHICK69." So disguised, he reached out to adolescent boys in the Durango area, engaged them in conversation, and sent them naked photos of a young girl. He asked his targets to reciprocate, often directing them to take specific pictures of their bodies. In total, Smith was charged with producing child pornography in this manner with 36 victims.

Smith also used the guise to attempt to lure the targeted adolescents into in-person sexual encounters. Smith used a disguise, props, and a structured protocol to convince the targeted adolescents that they were engaging in sexual acts with "Kristin." Smith engaged in sexual acts with 11 adolescents; and took a substantial step to engage in sexual acts with eight other minors. Several of his victims were as young as 13-years-old; one was 12 years old.

Several of the targeted adolescents had previously had Smith as a teacher at Escalante Middle School.

"Those who prey on children have no place in a civil society, and I am personally grateful that this abomination is off the streets and will no longer be able to hurt our young people," said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. "The U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners will aggressively target people who choose to commit crimes against children in Colorado, and we will make them face justice."

"Let this sentence send an unmistakable warning: predators who lurk online to manipulate, exploit and coerce children into producing sexually explicit material will be hunted down, exposed, prosecuted and held accountable to the maximum extent of the law," said Homeland Security Investigations Denver, Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen. "HSI and our partners will be aggressively relentless in pursuing child predators. It is the mandate of the American people that we will not back down, we will not look away, and we will not stop until those who prey on children are brought to justice."

"Benjamin Smith's sentencing illustrates the FBI's commitment to protecting our most vulnerable citizens, our children," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski. "The FBI will continue to work diligently with the United States Attorney's Office to investigate and prosecute sexual predators and those who victimize children in our communities."

"Protecting children is one of our most fundamental responsibilities. In this case, investigators used technology lawfully, responsibly, and effectively to identify a prolific sex offender and stop him from victimizing more children," said Brice Current, Durango Police Chief. "To those who prey on children: you should never assume that a screen, an app, or a false identity will keep you hidden. We will use every lawful tool available to find you, expose your actions, and hold you accountable."

United States District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over the sentencing.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Durango Police Department.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffery K. Graves and Alecia Riewerts.

Case No. 1:24-cr-00305-GPG-JMC