Española man faces child porn charges

37-year-old suspect a convicted sex offender in Florida

SANTA FE — A convicted sex offender is being investigated again for possession of child pornography after his fiancée reported him to law enforcement.

Francisco Romero, 37, was charged with two counts of child solicitation by electronic communication device and two counts of receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm after New Mexico State Police executed search warrants on his home and vehicle Aug. 28.

Romero was previously convicted of possession of child pornography in December 2008 in Florida, He and his fiancée were living in Española and had a history of domestic violence, according to court documents.

His fiancée told police she found Romero with what appeared to be solicitations for child pornography on his laptop. She showed police several screenshots of Romero’s laptop in which he is asking young girls for photos.

In one instance, he asked for “sexy pictures” of a 12-year-old child model.

He also allegedly contacted what are believed to be several Russian girls. “I will pay for photos in bikini, lingerie or nude,” he told one girl.

One girl’s Instagram account identified her as 11 years old, according to court documents.

In addition to the child pornography, Romero was found to be a felon in possession of a firearm. His fiancée reported that Romero bought a firearm before the firearm background check law went into effect. She said she owned guns herself, and took the firing pins out of some of the guns because she was afraid Romero would use them.

When police searched Romero’s resi

dence, they found an AR-15 rifle, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, court documents said. They also seized USB drives, micro-SD cards, laptops and phones.

In Romero’s van, investigators found more ammunition and USB drives and seized them as part of the investigation.

Romero was arrested at an Española restaurant Aug. 28. It’s unclear from online court documents where he is being held.