Irvin High Teacher Arrested On Child Porn Charge Has Worked In Other Schools, Did Volunteer Work With Youths

The investigation into Marco Alferez led investigators to the Irvin High School campus on Thursday.

That’s where investigators from at least two different law enforcement agencies spent part of the day interviewing some of Alferez’s students.

Alferez was arrested last week on a charge of possessing child pornography. He remains in jail after being denied bond in a hearing on Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators from both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the El Paso Police Dept. showed up at different classes to talk to students about the investigation into Alferez, the Irvin dance teacher accused by federal authorities of making and possessing child pornorgraphy.

Officials from both agencies declined to tell answer ABC-7’s questions regarding their interviews with students.

Many students ABC-7 spoke with also declined to say anything.

One cheerleader said he was one of dozens of students interviewed. He said students were not pulled out of class for the interviews, but instead, investigators stopped by different classes to talk to students.

The student said one of the questions they were asked was whether or not Alferez was around while his female students were changing.

Irvin High School is not the only local school Alferez has taught at.

According to Ysleta Independent School District officials, Alferez worked with the district from 2003-’04 as a guest artist – someone who doesn’t teach alone and works under the supervision of another teacher. He taught folklorico at Le Barron Elementary. His resume states he taught more than 1,200 students in a rotating schedule.

He worked for YISD a second time from Aug. 2007 to June 2008 when he was rehired under the district’s alternative certification program. Under this program, employees have their BA, but must sign an agreement that they will attain alternative certification within a year.

When he failed to complete those requirements, he was dismissed from the district. During this time, he had sole responsibility of students and was not supervised by any other teacher. He taught folklorico half day at Camino Real Middle School and half day at Scottsdale Elementary.

Alferez’s resume also states he worked at Austin High School in the El Paso Independent School District as a dance instructor and director from Aug. 2004 to Aug. 2006. He taught ninth-12th grade classes in dance technique, dance history, dance performance and choreography, as well as basic theater arts, make-up and costuming.

Alferez started working at Irvin High School as a dance instructor in Aug. 2008.

In addition to working in education, Alferez has worked with Viva El Paso from 2004 through this year as a “dance master” and head choreographer. Viva El Paso has not returned phone calls from ABC-7 to explain what Alferez’s current status is with the production since he was charged with possessing child pornography.

Alferez told the UTEP newspaper, The Prospector, in 2008 that he began his career with Viva El Paso as a volunteer program vendor at the age of 15 and eventually climbed his way up to choreographer.

Alferez has done volunteer work with several groups and organizations, including the Parks and Recreation Neighborhood Youth Outreach Program, where his resume states he spent time “serving as a recreational leader aid, recruiting youth for sporting events, outings, after school programs and summer camps … .” He also did volunteer work with the Ballet Folklorico Paso Del Norte, Ballet Folklorico Quetzalez and Valle Del Sol.

Alferez graduated from UTEP in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance. Skills listed on his resume include Microsoft, Excel, other programming, photography, Photoshop, Photo Pro, Fine Pix, and the Internet.

During a bond hearing in federal court on Wednesday, prosecutors said Alferez made child pornography in his own home and they claimed there may be as many as 70 local victims. Alferez was denied bond. Read the article on the hearing and prosecution allegations here.

ABC-7 learned a new warrant was issued for Alferez with a charge of “sexual performance of a minor.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said the charge stems from the alleged ‘homemade’ child pornography found in Alferez’s home. In one video, investigators said Alferez is seen setting up a hidden camera in his bedroom and later raping a young girl.

According to court documents Thursday, Alferez had yet to be booked on the new charge.

In a report to Congress in August, Attorney General Eric Holder said the distribution of child pornography, the number of images being shared online and violence against child victims all have increased.

“Tragically, the only place we’ve seen a decrease is in the age of victims,” Holder said in a speech at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va.

The report, ordered by Congress in legislation approved two years ago, concedes that the market for child pornography continues to grow rapidly and determining its size is impossible. “The number of offenders accessing the images and videos and the quantity of images and videos being traded is unknown,” the report said.

Creating or possessing images that depict the sexual abuse of children is illegal. There is no First Amendment protection for child pornography.

In announcing a national strategy for preventing child exploitation, Holder laid out several steps that he said would help authorities make progress:

– The U.S. Marshals Service will target the “top 500 most dangerous” sex offenders who have not registered with authorities in the states where they live.

– The Justice Department is creating a database intended to increase cooperation among authorities at all levels of government that investigate child porn cases.

– Thirty-eight new prosecutors will be hired for child porn cases.

The increased attention to fighting child pornography already has led to record numbers of prosecutions and tips. More than 8,600 people have been prosecuted at the federal level since October 2006. State and local authorities focused on the use of the Internet in child sexual exploitation reported that documented complaints of online enticement of children more than tripled from 2004 to 2008 and complaints of child prostitution rose more than 10 times.

Related Links:Link:How Child Porn Has Increased; Punishments If Convicted On Child Porn Charge

ABC-7 Reporter Marissa Monroy contributed to this report.