Attorney General Raúl Torrez Announces Charges Against Nine Suspected Online Predators Following Multi-Agency Undercover Operation

Albuquerque, N.M. — Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the arrest of 15 individuals suspected of attempting to meet a child for sexual activity, following a four-day undercover operation, “Operation Game Over,” with federal and local law enforcement partners. The New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) will prosecute nine of the 15 suspects, with the remaining cases referred to partner agencies.

All 15 individuals have been charged with Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device. The operation was conducted jointly by NMDOJ undercover agents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), and the Santa Fe Police Department (SFPD). Agencies collaborated on undercover chats, surveillance, and the takedowns that followed.

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The suspects contacted decoy accounts created by the NMDOJ and partnering agencies. These accounts consisted of underage users and were hosted on several online sites such as, Sniffies, SkiptheGames, Grindr, MeetMe and MocoSpace.

“There is no higher priority for my office than protecting children from those who would exploit them, and we will use every tool, every partnership, and every resource available to bring these predators to justice,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “This operation succeeded because law enforcement moved as a single unit and that is exactly the kind of coordinated response New Mexico families deserve. Predators who target our children should know they are not anonymous, they are not safe, and they will be held accountable.”

The cases have been divided among the participating agencies. NMDOJ will prosecute the following individuals:

Ryan Lard

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device and Meets with a Child Under 13
  • 2nd Degree Felony; 0-9 years in prison
• On May 14, 2026, Ryan Lard contacted a decoy account on the MeetMe app depicting a young female user and provided his phone number. The decoy account texted the number provided and stated that she was almost 13 years old. Lard proceeded to discuss “hooking up” with her, the use of condoms and the morning-after pill. Lard then sent a Lyft to pick up the undercover agent and the agent was driven to Lard’s location. He was identified, apprehended and interviewed by FBI agents.

Roman Benjamin

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device and Meets with a Child Under 13
  • 2nd Degree Felony; 0-9 years in prison
• On May 13, 2026, Roman Benjamin engaged in an online chat with a decoy account that identified as almost 13 years old. After acknowledging the decoy “young,” asking for a photo, and telling the decoy “I’d rather not get arrested,” they signed off for the evening. The next day, May 14, Benjamin reached out saying he had $100 for “some quick sex” and asking for a topless photo. They arranged to meet and upon Benjamin’s arrival at the undercover house, he was apprehended by law enforcement.

Anthony Larsen

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device and Meets with a Child Under 13
  • 2nd Degree Felony; 0-9 years in prison
• On May 13, 2026, Larsen sent a photo of himself to a decoy account claiming to be a 12-year-old boy. After confirming the decoy’s age as 12, Larsen repeatedly asked for photos of the decoy’s genitals, inquired about his sexual experience and stated that he had condoms. The two arranged to meet near a park and after Larsen confirmed his identity for the undercover agent, he was apprehended by law enforcement.

Kyle Stovall

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device (Child 13-16 y/o) and Meets with a Child
  • 3rd Degree Felony; 0-3 years in prison
• On May 12, 2026, Stovall engaged in an online chat conversation with a decoy account of a girl claiming to be 15 years old. After confirming her age, he asked for “a naked pic,” sent a photo of himself, and said that he was looking to “chat preferably naked and of course sex.” He also told her she could not get pregnant with him because he has had a vasectomy. They arranged a meeting at an undercover house, where Stovall pulled up in a vehicle and remained in the car, expressing that he was nervous due to the presence of neighbors speaking with the undercover agent in front of the house. He asked the undercover agent if she could meet him at a nearby park instead and, after the agent agreed, he left the scene and was apprehended by law enforcement nearby.

Jeremy Garcia

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device (Child 13-16 y/o) and Meets with a Child
  • 3rd Degree Felony; 0-3 years in prison
• On May 12, 2026, Jeremy Garcia engaged with a decoy account claiming to be a 14-year-old boy. Garcia sent several photos of himself, including one of his genitals and expressed interest in the boy’s short height that indicated youth. Garcia tells the decoy account he would “take charge” and that he wanted to do things such as “kissing” and “sucking” with him. Garcia described participating in sexual oral activities before arranging to meet. Upon arrival at the meeting point, Garcia was apprehended by law enforcement.

Jose Arizmendy-Vega

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device (Child 13-16 y/o) and Meets with a Child
  • 3rd Degree Felony; 0-3 years in prison
• On May 11, 2026, Jose Arizmendy-Vega engaged in a chat conversation with a decoy account operated by law enforcement on an escort service app. After confirming the decoy was a 14-year-old girl, Arizmendy-Vega proceeded to hire the girl for sex and agreed to the price of $100 for sex wearing a condom. He agreed to meet at the decoy’s house and was apprehended by law enforcement upon arrival.

Christopher Purtee

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device (Child 13-16 y/o) and Meets with a Child
  • 3rd Degree Felony; 0-3 years in prison
• On May 11, 2026, Christopher Purtee engaged in a sexually explicit online chat with a decoy account identifying as a 14-year-old boy. After confirming the decoy’s age as 14, Purtee sent photos of himself, including his genitals, and indicated that he had “condoms and poppers” and asked if the boy had lube. After graphically describing sexual acts they would engage in, Purtee indicated he would pick up lube and meet the decoy at the agreed-upon address. When he arrived at the door, he was apprehended by law enforcement.

Christopher Frost

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device (Child 13-16 y/o) and Meets with a Child
  • 3rd Degree Felony; 0-3 years in prison
• On May 11, 2026, Christopher Frost engaged with a decoy account claiming to be a 14-year-old boy on the platform Sniffies. After confirming the age of the boy as 14, Frost proceeded to send explicit photos of his body and genitals to the boy. He also described performing oral sex before agreeing to meet that evening with a plan to “suck you at your place.” When he arrived at the home, he was apprehended.

Jesus Jacobo

• Charge: Child Solicitation by Electronic Communication Device (Child 13-16 y/o) and Meets with a Child
  • 3rd Degree Felony; 0-3 years in prison
• On May 11, 2026, Jesus Jacobo engaged in a chat conversation with a decoy account claiming to be a 14-year-old girl. After learning her age, he asked if she was located in Santa Fe and inquired about the services she would offer. He proceeded to ask if she would let him perform oral sex on her and they negotiated a price for length of time and additional explicit actions. Before agreeing to make the drive from Santa Fe to meet, he confirmed that she would not tell anyone. When he arrived at the door of the house, he was apprehended by law enforcement.

Criminal Complaints Below:

• Christopher Frost Criminal Complaint
• Ryan Lard Criminal Complaint
• Roman Benjamin Criminal Complaint
• Anthony Larsen Criminal Complaint
• Kyle Stovall Criminal Complaint
• Jeremy Garcia Criminal Complaint
• Jose Arizmendy-Vega Criminal Complaint
• Christopher Purtee Criminal Complaint
• Jesus Jacobo Criminal Complaint