San Fernando Woman Accused Of Child Porn, Molestation Appears In Court
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – A woman accused of posing in photos depicting child pornography appeared before a federal judge for the first time Tuesday.
Letha Mae Montemayor came to court in a wheelchair with her face hidden under a coat. The 52-year-old suspect only showed her face when responding to questions.
Her arraignment was scheduled for Feb. 13.
Los Angeles police and federal authorities arrested Montemayor 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.
Montemayor's son, Paul Tucker, claims she 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 girl in the photo was not a minor.
He added that 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," Tucker said.
Authorities are still looking for the man, believed to be between 40 to 50 years old, 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.
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