New Mexico man sentenced to 60 years for enticement of minors following HSI investigation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Alamogordo man was sentenced to 60 years in prison for enticement of a minor on March 14 following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The Alamogordo Police Department assisted with the case.

Alfonso Salcido Herrera, 46, pleaded guilty in federal court to the same charge on March 30, 2023.

According to publicly available court records, beginning in 2019 and continuing until May 2022, Herrera groomed and repeatedly sexually abused four children who were between nine and 13 years old at the time.

Upon his release from prison, Herrera will be subject to five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and Joni Autrey Stahl are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

HSI encourages members of the public to report instances of fraud, crimes or suspicious activity by calling the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP. The tip line is staffed 24 hours a day.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees and consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSIElPaso.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)