New Mexico
New Mexico AG blames Meta for online predators as state charges 3 men accused of using firm’s platforms to solicit sex with underage children
New Mexico’s top prosecutor announced charges Wednesday against three men who are accused of using Meta’s social media platforms to target and solicit sex with underage children.
The arrests are the result of a monthslong undercover operation in which the suspects connected with decoy accounts that were set up by the state Department of Justice. The investigation began in December around the time the state filed a civil lawsuit against the social media giant, claiming Meta was failing to take basic precautionary measures to ensure children were safe on its platforms.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said during a news conference Wednesday that the suspects communicated and exchanged explicit sexual content through Facebook’s messenger app and were clear in expressing a sexual interest in children.
“It’s extraordinarily concerning to us just how easily these individuals found the undercover personas that were created,” Torrez said. “And it is, frankly, I think a wakeup call for all of us to understand just how serious these kinds of threats are.”
He placed blame on Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and suggested that the company was putting profits above the interests of parents and children.
“For those of us who are engaged in this work, we are simply tired of the rhetoric,” he said. “We are tired of the assurances that have been given to members of our communities, to members of Congress, to policymakers that all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that this type of behavior doesn’t occur.”
Meta disputed the allegations and reiterated Wednesday that it uses technology to prevent suspicious adults from finding or interacting with children and teens on its apps and that it works with law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting offenders.
The company also said it has hired child safety experts, reports content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and shares information and tools with others to help root out predators.
“This is an ongoing fight, where determined criminals evolve their tactics across platforms to try and evade protections,” Meta said in an emailed statement.
While the state attorney general’s office will continue working to identify predators who are targeting children, Torrez said it’s too early to say whether that work will have a bearing on the civil litigation.
As part of that lawsuit, New Mexico prosecutors say they have uncovered internal documents in which Meta employees estimate about 100,000 children every day are subjected to sexual harassment on the company’s platforms.
The three defendants in the criminal case were identified as Fernando Clyde, Marlon Kellywood and Christopher Reynolds. Prosecutors are seeking to detain them pending trial on charges that include child solicitation by an electronic communication device.
Hearings have yet to be scheduled, and court records did not list attorneys who could speak on behalf of Clyde and Kellywood. A message was left with the public defender’s office, which is representing Reynolds.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In a historic announcement, President Joe Biden says it is time for the feds to rethink how dangerous marijuana really is. His administration is downgrading cannabis in its drug classification.
It’s a monumental decision that will impact many areas of the legal marijuana industry, including in New Mexico.
“It’s a historic, monumental policy shift and how the federal government treats cannabis. But it’s kind of bittersweet, too, it doesn’t go far enough,” said Ben Lewinger, executive director of the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.
Lewinger says it’s about time the feds catch up with the American people.
“We know that most Americans today want cannabis to be legal, to be regulated, similar to alcohol or tobacco,” said Lewinger.
He says Biden’s plan to reschedule marijuana isn’t doing that.
“It’s kind of a giveaway to the Big Pharma,” Lewinger said.
Marijuana, or cannabis, is currently a Schedule 1 drug. It’s considered the worst of the worst, alongside other drugs like heroin.
The Biden administration wants to reclassify it as a Schedule 3 drug, meaning it’s still concerning, but there are some recognizable medical benefits.
“Schedule 3 includes pharmaceuticals, like Klonopin, like Tylenol with codeine, so still highly regulated pharmaceutical products. We do know that there will be immediate relief in the form of cannabis businesses not having to deal with 280E, which is an IRS tax code that applies only to Schedule 1 substances. What we don’t know is whether or not being regulated by the FDA and the DEA would incur additional costs,” said Lewinger.
Lewinger admits this is uncharted territory for the cannabis industry. A spokesperson with the Cannabis Control Division says they are just beginning to digest the draft rule, and figuring out how this will impact New Mexico’s cannabis industry.
But Lewinger says there are clues about what happens to Schedule 3 drugs.
“It presents a pharmaceutical model for states that have legalized cannabis,” Lewinger said. “I think that having to have a prescription for cannabis may not be off the table. I think that there’s going to be lots of companies rushing to develop IP to get trademarks on different cannabinoids.”
He predicts the change could also allow New Mexico to export cannabis products, potentially providing another boost to the booming industry.
“It’s a really exciting time for our industry in New Mexico right now,” said Lewinger.
Recreational sales topped $38 million last month, just shy of a record $39 million the month before.
Lewinger says the rescheduling process could take years to complete, so don’t expect any noticeable industry changes anytime soon. He says don’t expect any more major shifts for a while.
“My feeling is that shifting from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 is actually going to put off real descheduling for another decade or even longer,” said Lewinger.
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