United States of America v. Craig Scott Valdez

Anchorage, Alaska, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with sex trafficking a minor, exploitation of a child, production of child porn, and coercion and enticement of a minor.

Craig Scott Valdez, 36, used the popular social media application Snapchat to identify, groom and entice juvenile females in Alaska for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The indictment charges this conduct in relation to one minor victim from an incident occurring in October 2025, but Valdez is believed to have victimized or attempted to victimize other juveniles in Anchorage and Juneau. Valdez is a current state employee working in Anchorage and Juneau.

Valdez is charged with one count of Sex Trafficking of Children in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591; one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Production of Child Pornography) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251; one count of Coercion and Enticement of Children in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2242(b); and one count of Receipt of Child Pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A. The defendant will make his initial court appearance on Feb. 23, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces between 15 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department are investigating this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. If anyone has information concerning Valdez’s alleged actions or may have encountered someone using the name “Craig Scott Valdez” or usernames “NONAME20233132” or “DOCHANK” in person or online, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.