Authorities in Gallup, New Mexico, conducted a sting operation at a local motel on Tuesday, resulting in the arrest of 52-year-old Fernando Clyde who had arrived to meet a person he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.
Exclusive police body camera footage obtained by CBS News captured Clyde's arrest for allegedly sending inappropriate messages via Facebook Messenger to an individual he thought was a young girl, but was actually an undercover agent from the New Mexico Justice Department.
"These are individuals who explicitly use this platform to find and target these children," stated New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez during a news briefing on Wednesday.
The operation, named "Operation MetaPhile," also led to the arrest of 29-year-old Marlon Kellywood at the same motel on similar charges. The girl's profile photo was generated using artificial intelligence, which attracted potential predators, according to officials.
"They initiated a sexual conversation," Torrez revealed to CBS News. "They were sending images, graphic images, of genitalia. They were making really horrific statements about their interest in sex with these children."
Torrez criticized Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, as well as its CEO Mark Zuckerberg — for their handling of security concerns in such cases.
"It is evident that Meta and executives like Mr. Zuckerberg have no intention of allocating the necessary resources to ensure the safety of these platforms," Torrez expressed. "If they were capable of making these platforms safe on their own, they would have already done so."
The arrests follow CBS News' exclusive report last December that unveiled New Mexico's independent civil lawsuit against Meta. The lawsuit accuses the company of "facilitating adults to locate, communicate with, and groom minors, enticing them to sell images or partake in pornographic videos."
Meta responded to CBS News with a statement, stating, "Child exploitation is a heinous crime, and we have been developing technology for years to combat it and assist law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators. This is an ongoing battle, as determined criminals adapt their strategies across platforms to circumvent safeguards."
In 2023, an organization emphasized the dangers of online platforms, with Torrez warning, "We could have a child in New Mexico, or anywhere in America, go online, go on one of these platforms, and instead of encountering an undercover agent, they are actually lured by one of these predators."
The New Mexico Justice Department has released a guide containing advice for parents and children on how to safeguard themselves against online threats.
