YUMA, Ariz. — A Border Patrol agent from Yuma has been indicted for allegedly producing and possessing child pornography.
Nereo Mejia Gomez, Jr., 41, is facing criminal charges after he allegedly produced, possessed and distributed explicit materials depicting minors.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza fue acusado en Arizona por cargos de pornografía infantil
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona, Gomez produced pieces of pornography depicting a teenage girl starting in November 2022. The indictment against Gomez was filed in court this week.
Gomez is also accused of possessing an unregistered firearm.
If convicted, Gomez could face decades in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
