Federal Human Trafficking Investigation Expands After Son of Las Cruces Bounty Hunter Charged in Separate Child Exploitation Case

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — A federal investigation into a Las Cruces bounty hunter accused of operating a years-long scheme involving forced labor, sex trafficking, drug distribution, and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals has expanded into a second major criminal case after investigators said they uncovered evidence leading to child exploitation charges against his adult son.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Robert Jay Hernandez, 62, a bounty hunter employed by a Las Cruces bail bond company, was previously arrested on multiple federal charges after investigators alleged he abused his position to target individuals being released from the Doña Ana County Detention Center. During the execution of a federal search warrant connected to that investigation, agents discovered evidence that resulted in separate federal charges against Matthew Esai Hernandez, 37, Robert Hernandez’s adult son.

Although the two prosecutions involve different alleged criminal conduct, federal authorities state the second case was uncovered directly through evidence obtained during the ongoing investigation into Robert Hernandez.

According to court documents, investigators allege Robert Hernandez developed a pattern of bonding vulnerable inmates out of jail before requiring many of them to live at his residence under conditions they claim were designed to facilitate control through intimidation, addiction, financial dependence, and fear of being returned to custody. Federal investigators allege Hernandez specifically targeted individuals struggling with substance abuse, unstable housing, or limited family support, creating circumstances in which victims believed they had little ability to leave or refuse his demands.

The federal criminal complaint alleges the scheme involved multiple victims over an extended period and included allegations of forced labor, sex trafficking by force, threats, fraud and coercion, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon. If convicted, Hernandez faces penalties that could include life imprisonment.

Investigators allege one male victim was bonded out of jail during 2024 and required to live at Hernandez’s residence, where he allegedly performed unpaid labor ranging from maintenance work and yard work to assisting Hernandez with bounty hunting operations. According to the complaint, the victim allegedly received tactical equipment, including a ballistic vest, handgun, handcuffs, and baton, while being directed to help locate individuals wanted on outstanding bonds despite receiving no compensation for his work.

Court documents further allege Hernandez provided the victim with drugs presented as medical treatment despite no physician prescribing them. Investigators allege the victim later received a fentanyl patch that prosecutors state had never been prescribed to him. After leaving Hernandez’s residence with assistance from his wife, investigators allege Hernandez later contacted immigration authorities, resulting in the victim’s arrest.

Federal investigators also describe allegations involving female victims who allegedly believed they would be returned to jail if they refused Hernandez’s demands. According to prosecutors, one woman reported that Hernandez contacted her while she remained incarcerated, gradually developing increasingly personal conversations before bonding her out. Court documents allege Hernandez made threatening statements regarding what would happen if she attempted to leave his control and later located her after she left, allegedly forcing her back into custody at gunpoint.

Another alleged victim told investigators Hernandez required her to live in his residence after bonding her out of jail and gradually controlled her access to fentanyl. According to the complaint, prosecutors allege Hernandez stored the drugs himself and required various sexual acts before providing access to them, creating dependence through addiction while simultaneously threatening incarceration if she refused his demands. The complaint further alleges the victim experienced repeated sexual assaults while fearing both severe withdrawal symptoms and being returned to jail if she attempted to leave.

Federal investigators also allege text messages recovered during the investigation described Hernandez among inmates as a “dirty bondsman” who allegedly targeted women struggling with fentanyl addiction and expected sexual favors in exchange for bonding assistance. Those communications, along with witness interviews and other evidence, form part of the government’s criminal complaint.

While investigators continued executing search warrants and examining evidence connected to the alleged human trafficking operation, the investigation took an unexpected turn.

According to federal prosecutors, on May 12, 2026, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Las Cruces residence as part of the ongoing Robert Hernandez investigation. During that search, agents seized numerous electronic devices, including a cellphone belonging to Matthew Esai Hernandez, Robert Hernandez’s adult son.

Federal authorities allege a subsequent forensic examination of the cellphone, conducted under additional court-authorized search warrants, uncovered evidence leading to an entirely separate federal child exploitation investigation.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators allege Matthew Hernandez used encrypted messaging platforms, including Telegram and Kik Messenger, to communicate with individuals who represented themselves as minors while requesting sexually explicit images. Prosecutors further allege that in one Telegram conversation Hernandez confirmed the reported age of an individual identifying as a minor before requesting explicit photographs.

Federal investigators also allege Hernandez participated in multiple Kik Messenger conversations involving sexually explicit communications with individuals claiming to be minors, during which child sexual abuse material was allegedly exchanged.

According to prosecutors, investigators additionally uncovered a Telegram conversation spanning approximately 21 months, during which Matthew Hernandez allegedly received numerous images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children and continued receiving and possessing that material throughout the course of the communication.

Matthew Hernandez has been charged by criminal complaint with attempted coercion and enticement of minors, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Because these charges remain allegations, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in federal court. If convicted of the offenses currently charged, prosecutors state he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison and could receive a sentence of up to life imprisonment.

The investigation demonstrates how evidence recovered during one federal criminal investigation can expose additional alleged criminal activity unrelated to the original offenses under investigation. Digital forensic examinations routinely extend well beyond the initial execution of a search warrant, allowing investigators to recover deleted files, analyze encrypted communications, reconstruct timelines, identify online accounts, and determine whether additional criminal conduct occurred.

Federal officials also noted that the investigation reflects the increasingly important role digital evidence plays in modern criminal investigations. Computers, mobile devices, encrypted messaging applications, and cloud-based communications frequently contain information that helps investigators establish relationships, identify additional victims, uncover previously unknown offenses, and determine whether other individuals may have participated in criminal activity.

Robert Jay Hernandez remains charged with multiple federal offenses, including forced labor, sex trafficking by force, threats, fraud and coercion, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Matthew Esai Hernandez remains separately charged with federal child exploitation offenses arising from evidence recovered during the subsequent forensic examination of his cellphone.

The investigations were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Las Cruces Resident Agency, with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, Doña Ana County Detention Center, the Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York State Police. The child exploitation case involving Matthew Hernandez is also being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.

Both criminal cases remain pending in federal court.

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Criminal Complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

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