Belen Man Charged After Investigation into Alleged Child Sexual Abuse Material

ALBUQUERQUE - A Belen man is facing federal charges following an investigation into two online accounts that contained suspected child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, in June 2026, Google submitted two CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children after identifying suspected Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) associated with two Google accounts linked to the same phone number. The reports identified a combined 25 files containing suspected CSAM uploaded to the accounts.

Investigators identified David Candido Gomez, 51, as the suspected user of the accounts after obtaining subscriber information associated with the phone number and identifying a device connected to the accounts. Location information placed the device near a residence in Belen, New Mexico, where agents executed a search warrant on July 30, 2026.

During the search, agents seized a cellphone associated with the Google accounts. According to court documents, a forensic review of the device revealed multiple images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, as well as evidence that the device had accessed both Google accounts and contained additional CSAM.

The investigation, including efforts to identify victims depicted in the material, remains ongoing.

Gomez is charged with possession of child pornography. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Gomez faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The New Mexico Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force initiated this investigation, which was later turned over to the FBI Albuquerque Field Office Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) and Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force assisted with the investigation. This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.