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Mom finds 29-year-old in 14-year-old daughter’s closet after sexual assault, feds say

A New Mexico man sexually assaulted a 14-year-old he met on TikTok, prosecutors said. Now he’s going to prison.
A New Mexico man sexually assaulted a 14-year-old he met on TikTok, prosecutors said. Now he’s going to prison. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A man is going to prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in her New Mexico home, federal officials said.

In 2021, Jordian Pacheco, 33, was talking via TikTok and email with a 14-year-old he met on the app over the course of a year, according to a Dec. 9 news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

Pacheco, who was 29 at the time, didn’t disclose his real age, prosecutors said.

Pacheco, who’s an enrolled member of the Santa Domingo Pueblo, drove to the girl’s home on the Navajo Nation while her mom wasn’t there, officials said.

That’s when Pacheco sexually assaulted the girl before her mom found him hiding in the teen’s closet, prosecutors said.

The mother called police, and Pacheco provided them with fake identification, prosecutors said.

The investigation revealed he had a “history” of talking to minors online under the names “Youngduke12,” “Little Felon” and “Scott Little Felon,” officials said. He requested photos from them, tried to meet them at local high schools and lied about his age, prosecutors said.

McClatchy News reached out to Pacheco’s lawyer on Dec. 10 and was awaiting a response.

Pacheco pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in August.

He was sentenced to six years in federal prison followed by 15 years supervised release and must register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Mom finds 29-year-old in 14-year-old daughter’s closet after sexual assault, feds say."

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Paloma Chavez
McClatchy DC
Paloma Chavez is a reporter covering real-time news on the West Coast. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.
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