ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Johnathon Bindues, 30, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, was arraigned in federal court on March 30 on a nine-count indictment charging him with one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and eight counts of production of child pornography.
A federal grand jury indicted Bindues on March 23. According to court records, at the time of the alleged offenses, Bindues was the coach for the girls’ basketball and track teams at Los Lunas High School. The victim, identified as Jane Doe, was a freshman and a member of the teams Bindues coached.
Between September 2020 and June 2021, the defendant allegedly exchanged over 17,000 text messages with the victim. Bindues allegedly requested nude images of Jane Doe and encouraged her to delete the text messages immediately. After discovering sexually explicit messages on her daughter’s phone, Jane Doe’s mother reported the relationship to the New Mexico State Police.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Bindues faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for coercion and enticement and a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography, and Bindues would be subject to registration as a sex offender.
The FBI and New Mexico State Police investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Jaymie L. Roybal and Alexander M. Uballez are prosecuting the case.