Ex-Dance Teacher Sentenced To 50 Years In Child Porn Case

A former El Paso dance teacher who was sentenced of 50 years in prison Thursday after being convicted of child pornography charges, told the court he was abused as a child himself.

There was little reaction from 35-year-old Marco Alferez, who created and distributed child pornography involving hundreds of local victims, when the maximum sentences of 30 years on one count and 20 on another to be served consecutively was read. Alferez was also ordered to pay $248,359.02.

Before his sentence was read, Alferez read a five to seven-minute statement in which he apologized to his family, former fellow teachers and his victims. Alferez also said he said he didn’t have the help he needed after being abused as a child himself.

Prosecutors detailed Alferez’ crimes, including the nearly 400 victims they were able to identify in videos he secretly took, some of them at the schools he worked at.

Several victim statements were read before two victims, a mother and a daughter, gave an emotional statements via a closed-circuit TV.

During those tearful statements, Alferez, nodded several times and appeared to get emotional.

Alferez’s attorney, Michael Gibson, had asked for the minimum sentence of 15 years, said the sentence was too harsh

“I’ve not seen anything like that before, especially the stacking (of prison terms),” Gibson said. “I haven’t seen them stack a sentence in federal court in the 43 or 46 years I’ve been doing this and that’s very unusual.”

Marco Alferez pleaded guilty in August 2011 to sexual exploitation of children and distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

“Those who produce and traffic in child pornography should pay attention to this case,” U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman said in a statement. “Mr. Alferez preyed upon the children of this community and, as a result, will spend the next 50 years in federal prison. We will continue to seek out, prosecute and punish those who abuse the trust and innocence of our children, and they will pay dearly,”

Federal agents searched Alferez’s home in September 2010 and found on his computer 98 “commercially available” child porn videos and 157 hidden-camera and self-produced videos, in which children were undressing or having sex with Alferez, according to court documents. Agents also found 121 video tapes in his home containing child pornography.

Court documents state investigators were able to identify the images on the tapes as being recorded at Le Baron Park Elementary School, Austin High School, Camino Real Middle School, Scotsdale Elementary School and Irvin High School. Alferez held positions at those schools over the span of six years, from 2003 to 2009. There were other locations found on the homemade recordings, including Coronado High School, various El Paso high school graduation ceremonies, Viva! El Paso and Disneyland.

Federal authorities identified a total of 393 victims in the videos. Court papers indicate the crimes beginning as early as 2001 when Alferez videotaped himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Some of those victims confronted Alferez on Thursday afternoon, though the courtroom was closed to media during that part of the hearing.

Court documents included written testimony from some of the victims and their parents:

“He made me feel like I had no value, like as if the whole world would look at me weird,” wrote one victim, then 13, only identified by her initials, S.G. “He affected me a lot on my way of being. I have become quiet, timid and I have no trust in no one because I feel they will do the same.”

“This crime has affected my family in an extremely negative manner, especially my daughter, the victim,” wrote the mother of another victim. “I can’t sleep at night, waking up with visions of Mr. Alferez, thoughts of what he did to my daughter.

“I have feelings of guilt, thinking, how could I have trusted this man with my daughter,” the statement continued. “I am supposed to protect my children from harm … on the contrary, I allowed her to work with this man. … My daughter will forever be haunted by Mr. Alferez’s actions. Her self-esteem tarnished forever, her lack of trust with men and her own feelings of guilt for trusting Mr. Alferez.”

In the court document, federal prosecutors describe Alferez as someone similar to “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” due to his two personalities. Prosecutors say it was the trust and admiration he gained as a performer and teacher that allowed him unfettered access to the children who became his victims.