Lubbock Man Poses as Modeling Agent Online, Photos Teen Girls Nude in Mall Bathroom

A Lubbock man posing online as a modeling agent was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for production of child pornography on Oct. 9.

According to a press release from the US Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Texas, Amadeo Cruz Torres, 24, pled guilty to the charge in June 2015. He has been in custody since his arrest in the same month the previous year.

The press release states that Torres met the teenage minor, “Jane Doe,” at South Plains Mall in Lubbock on June 17, 2014, after he had been communicating with her online, via Facebook, about the possibility of modeling.  Torres first represented himself to be a female modeling agent named “Amber.” 

The teenage victim’s mother took Jane Doe to the mall to meet the supposed modeling scout.  Jane Doe was advised that she would be meeting with “Shane,” the defendant.  Jane Doe was advised to meet with Torres without a parent or friend to minimize distractions. 

After meeting with Jane Doe in the mall’s food court, Torres took her to a family restroom and locked the door.  He took a video of her while he instructed her to engage in various poses.  Eventually, Torres directed her to disrobe completely so that he could film a nude video.  At one point during the “modeling session,” Torres convinced her to let him touch her in a sexually explicit manner to verify that she was not hiding drugs.

Torres was arrested the following day at South Plains Mall where he had gone to meet another minor female.  Officers seized his video camera, cell phone and tablet computer.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Lubbock Police Department and the FBI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted.