Dance Instructor Enters Plea Agreement In Child Porn Case
Marco Antonio Alferez, a former El Paso teacher and dance instructor accused of making and sharing child pornography, agreed to plead guilty to sexual exploitation of children and distribution of child pornography, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Alferez, now 35, was arrested after authorities said he possessed nearly 200 homemade videos of children as young as elementary school age engaging in sexual acts.
In addition to nearly 100 commercially available child porn videos, agents discovered more than 150 hidden camera and self-produced videos of children, some of them fully nude. In some of the videos, investigators said, Alferez can be seen setting up the camera, ensuring it is properly aimed to capture the children’s pubic area.
The plea agreement states that investigators identified some of the victims as students from Le Baron Park and Scotsdale elementary schools, Camino Real Middle School and Austin and Irvin high schools.
Alferez, who between 2003 and 2008 worked at several El Paso schools, admitted to setting up a make-shift dressing in his classroom to record some of those videos.
Alferez’s attorney, Michael Gibson said his client plans to plead guilty next Tuesday to charges that will carry a penalty of at least 15 years in prison and no more than 30 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.
ABC-7 asked Gibson if his client is remorseful and he replied: “Yes, I would say so, I would say so. I can actually say yes, he’s sorry for the situation he’s involved himself in.”
As part of the plea agreement, the remaining counts against Alferez’s will be dismissed. Gibson said Alferez, who remains jailed without bond, is expected to appear in federal court next Tuesday. But a formal sentence will likely not be handed down for another 30 to 45 days.
“The judge will appoint the federal probation office to do an extensive Pre-Sentence Investigation,” Gibson added. “They will investigate into his background, his mental health, work history, education, family background, drug or alcohol abuse … everything like that to give the judge some idea.”
Alferez agreed to forfeit all of his camera equipment, residential contents, vehicle and retirement account funds ($15,584) and agreed to pay restitution to his victims.
He will also be forced to pay back all the money he earned as a teacher, totaling $233,933. According to the plea documents, $169,908 was his cumulative salary from the El Paso Independent School District. The remainder, $64,025, was what he earned while working for the Ysleta Independent School District.
Under the terms of the deal, Alferez will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.
