Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Albuquerque Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Production of Child Pornography Charges


Plea Agreement Recommends 18 Years of Imprisonment for Defendant who is being Prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood

ALBUQUERQUE – Danielle Glotfelty, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court to a production of child pornography charge.  Danielle Glotfelty entered the guilty plea under a plea agreement that recommends that she be sentenced to an 18-year term of imprisonment followed by at least five years of supervised release.  Danielle Glotfelty also will be required to register as a sex offender after she completes her prison sentence.

The FBI charged Danielle Glotfelty in a criminal complaint filed on June 6, 2017, with producing child pornography in April 2014, in Bernalillo County, N.M.  According to the complaint, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) initiated an investigation into Danielle Glotfelty’s co-defendant Christopher Glotfelty, 36, also of Albuquerque, in May 2017, after receiving information and evidence supporting allegations that Christopher Glotfelty produced child pornography of himself engaging in sexual activity with two minor victims.  The complaint alleged that images of child pornography were contained in four thumb drives, two memory sticks, and a camera that allegedly belonged to Christopher Glotfelty.

Danielle Glotfelty and Christopher Glotfelty subsequently were charged with child pornography offenses in a six-count indictment filed on July 11, 2017.  The indictment charged Danielle Glotfelty and Christopher Glotfelty with producing child pornography on March 5, 2014.  It also charged Christopher Glotfelty with producing child pornography on April 29, 2014, and possessing child pornography on two thumb drives and a memory stick within a camera on May 11, 2017.  According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Bernalillo County.

During today’s proceedings, Danielle Glotfelty pled guilty to one count of producing child pornography.  In entering the guilty plea, Danielle Glotfelty admitted that in March 2014 and April 2014, she aided and abetted Christopher Glotfelty in producing child pornography involving a seven-year-old child.  Danielle Glotfelty’s plea agreement recommends that she serve her federal sentence concurrently with any prison sentence imposed in the state case in which she is being prosecuted on related state charges.

On July 25, 2018, Christopher Glotfelty pled guilty to one count of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.  In entering the guilty plea, Christopher Glotfelty admitted that on March 5, 2014, he used a digital camera to produce child pornography of a seven-year-old child, and saved the video recording on a memory stick within the digital camera.  Christopher Glotfelty also admitted that from 2014 through May 2017, he possessed a thumb drive that contained approximately 297 images and nine videos of child pornography.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Christopher Glotfelty will be sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment followed by 15 years of supervised release.  Christopher Glotfelty will also be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

Danielle Glotfelty and Christopher Glotfelty have been in federal custody since their arrests and will remain detained pending their sentencing hearing, which have yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the APD.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathon M. Gerson is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ (link is external).

The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico.  There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.  Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.

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