Former Albuquerque police
officer Nelson Begay, 32, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to
receiving child pornography.
Begay was arrested on Nov. 13
after investigators determined that a computer at his Northeast Albuquerque
home was being used to share files containing child pornography. Shortly before
his arrest, Begay resigned from the Albuquerque Police Department, according to
the Department of Justice.
In his plea agreement, Begay
admitted using file-sharing software to download and share child pornography in
November 2012, including a video that was a compilation of many video clips of
minors performing sexual acts.
Begay has been in federal
custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing,
which has not been scheduled.
He faces a maximum federal
prison sentence of five to 20 years in prison. Under terms of his plea
agreement, Begay will be required to pay $1,000 in restitution to one of the
victims whose image appears in one of the videos found on Begay’s computer. He
also will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his
prison sentence.