Meta-Linked Child Sex Abuse Probe, Attorney General Confirms Three Arrests

DEBARYLIFE – On Wednesday, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez the arrest of three individuals in connection with a statewide investigation that is currently underway into child sexual abuse that was made possible by a few social media messaging platforms.

The probe, dubbed “Operation MetaPhile” by Torrez, is related to a lawsuit his agency is currently pursuing against Meta Platforms Inc., the parent corporation of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

At a news conference held on Wednesday at the state Department of Justice’s office in Albuquerque, he stated that since December, department agents have gone undercover in order to track down “pedophiles and predators” who use the tech giant’s social media platforms “to hunt, groom, target and potentially victimize minor children.”

Torrez disclosed that men from Farmington, Grants, and Roswell had been charged with felonies by his office. The accusations include trying to illicitly into a minor’s sexual space and soliciting children using electronic devices.

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Regarding the investigation, Torrez stated that his main takeaway was, “This is Mark Zuckerberg’s fault.”

The state Department of Justice filed a complaint against Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms Inc. in December, claiming that the popular social media platforms employed by the firm intentionally encourage child sex abuse and the dissemination of child sex abuse content.

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Torrez stated on Wednesday that “parents should be aware of the real-world danger and harm in using these platforms” and that the company “puts profits over the safety of children.”

Among the men detained are the following:

Both Fernando Clyde, 52, and Marlon Kellywood, 29, are accused of trying to illicitly penetrate a minor’s genital system and soliciting a kid under the age of thirteen through the use of technological devices. They are said to have arrived at the Gallup motel with the purpose to rape a youngster, which is why they were both detained there on Tuesday.

Christopher Reynolds, 47, was taken into custody on April 23 on suspicion of using an electronic device to solicit a child under the age of thirteen.