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Son: Child Porn Charges Against Mom 'Ridiculous'

NORTH HILLS (CBSLA.com) — The son of the woman taken into custody on child pornography charges claims his mother is innocent.

"I think it's ridiculous that my mom is accused of child porn. If anything it's an error of judgment on her part," said Paul Tucker, the son of 52-year-old Letha Mae Montemayor.

Montemayor was taken into custody by Los Angeles police and federal authorities Thursday night after investigators asked for the public's help in identifying two suspects involved in a child porn case.

Montemayor and an unidentified man were wanted by Homeland Security after special agents discovered a series of pornographic images in 2007.

"It was a video that was circulating online and it was first discovered in 2007 in a separate investigation by our Chicago office," Claude Arnold of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

The images "depict a male and female adult sexually molesting a girl who looks to be about 13 years old at the time," officials said in a statement.

Authorities believe the footage was taken approximately 11 years ago in the San Fernando Valley.

Tucker told CBS2's Randy Paige that he had met the girl while living with his mother at a Sepulveda Boulevard hotel and that she was not a minor.

"She was 18 . . . just looked real young, but over 18," he said.

But authorities remained skeptical and said the search for the alleged victim will continue.

"We're following up on all leads, but I'll say that's typically a defense in these types of cases that people try and develop," Arnold countered.

Tucker claims his mother was working as a prostitute at the time the alleged crime occurred. He also said Montemayor knew the alleged victim's mother.

"The story we had gotten from her was that her mother was prostituting her and that maybe my mom had gotten in a fight with her mother . . . . She said her mother had left her high and dry with a drug habit," he said.

Tucker said the unidentified man in the photo was a potential client and Montemayor was supposed to check him out before he paid for sex with the girl.

"I have no idea who that man was," he said.

Authorities are still looking for the man and the alleged victim.

"We are still seeking the public's assistance in both identifying John Doe, so we can arrest him and get him off the street, and also in identifying the victim," Arnold said.

Anyone with information about the identity of John Doe should call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or visit www.ICE.gov/tips. Tips may be reported anonymously.

RELATED STORY:Woman Arrested In San Fernando Child Porn, Molestation Case

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