Three Natrona County Men Face Federal Child Pornography Charges
Two Alcova residents have been charged with producing child pornography and one Casper-area man has been charged with possession of child pornography, according to federal court records.
Connor William Biggs Farley and Ray Donald Lucero, Jr., "knowingly used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct," according to the amended criminal complaint filed by a federal special agent in U.S. District Court on Friday.
Richard Thomas Willden "did knowingly possess material which contained images of child pornography," according to the amended criminal complaint.
If convicted, Farley and Lucero face 15 to 30 years imprisonment, and Willden faces up to 20 years imprisonment. They also would be subject up to lifetime supervised release, a $5,000 special assessment per the Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2015, and up to $35,000 restitution per the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
Lucero was bound over for trial at his preliminary hearing on Friday, and Farley and Willden waived their preliminary hearings. All are in custody, according to federal court records.
The case started on March 30 when the federal special agent was asked to help a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agent who was investigating Willden, Farley and Lucero and their alleged involvement in child pornography crimes, according to the amended criminal complaint.
The DCI's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force had received cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which had received the tips from Facebook on Oct. 20, 23 and 26, 2019.
The tips reported three images of child pornography sent from Willden to Farley on Oct. 14.
On Jan. 9, the DCI agent obtained a search warrant from Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen to examine a Google account belonging to Farley and emails related to the cybertips.
The DCI agent determined that Farley, approximately 22, and Lucero, 37, were married in November 2016, that they lived in a small camper in Alcova, and that Lucero is a registered sex offender.
The DCI agent found on the Google account five images taken in the camper on Aug. 21 with a male victim born in 2010 who was asleep next to Lucero.
The federal and DCI agents learned that Lucero is related to the victim's mother, and they would routinely babysit the victim and her three other children, according to the amended complaint.
On March 31, the agents found six images and two videos involving the boy and probably Farley. Willden probably received the videos on his Google account on Sept. 13. Two of the images showed the victim asleep next to probably Lucero.
One video was produced on Feb. 14, 2019, and the other was products on Aug. 21 in the camper, according to the amended complaint.
World Famous Museum Has Room Full of Fossils from Wyoming