Son of Las Cruces Bounty Hunter Charged in Federal Child Exploitation Case Following Search in Human Trafficking Investigation
ALBUQUERQUE / Wednesday, July 8, 2026 – A Las Cruces man has been charged with federal child exploitation offenses after investigators allegedly discovered evidence on his cellular telephone during the execution of a search warrant related to a separate federal investigation.
According to court documents, on May 12, 2026, federal agents executed a search warrant at a Las Cruces residence as part of an ongoing investigation connected to Robert Jay Hernandez. During the search, the FBI seized multiple electronic devices, including a cellphone belonging to Hernandez’s adult son, Matthew Esai Hernandez, 37.
A forensic extraction of the phone, conducted pursuant to additional warrants, revealed evidence that Hernandez engaged in sexually explicit communications with individuals who represented themselves as minors and possessed Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Hernandez allegedly used messaging applications, including Telegram and Kik Messenger, to solicit sexually explicit images. In one Telegram conversation, he confirmed the age of a minor and requested explicit photos. In multiple Kik conversations, he engaged in sexual messaging with individuals who stated they were minors and received CSAM images.
In a separate prolonged Telegram conversation spanning approximately 21 months, Hernandez allegedly received numerous CSAM images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children, and he continued to receive and possess such material throughout the communication.
Hernandez is charged with attempted coercion and enticement of minors, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Hernandez faces a minimum of 25 years in prison and up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Armijo and Grant Gardner are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
