YUMA, Ariz. — A Yuma man was indicted by grand jury on May 7 for a series of child sexual abuse material-related offenses, including production and multiple counts of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating this case.
Nereo Mejia Gomez Jr., 41, was also indicted for possession of an unregistered firearm; specifically, a short-barreled rifle. A federal magistrate judge ordered that Gomez be released pending trial. Gomez is an agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol.
The indictment alleges that between November 2022 and March 2023, Gomez produced child sexual abuse material four times involving a girl who was 15 and turned 16. The indictment also alleges that Gomez distributed child sexual abuse material five times in February and March 2024 using a facility of interstate commerce, and that he possessed child sexual abuse material and an unregistered firearm in April 2024.
The offense of production of child pornography carries a potential sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison, while each count of distributing and possessing child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Possession of an unregistered firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All child exploitation counts also carry potential fines of up to $250,000 and a lifetime term of supervised release.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is handling the prosecution. The Yuma Sector of the Border Patrol has been cooperative in the investigation.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, 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 consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.