Anchorage man indicted in February on four federal child exploitation counts

Craig Scott Valdez faces four federal child exploitation counts after a grand jury in Anchorage indicted him on Feb. 17. The FBI arrested him in Juneau three days later. No local news coverage of the arrest turned up in seven months of searching for this report, and social media posts describing Valdez have circulated since at least mid-June, continuing into July and this month.

The indictment charges sex trafficking of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child by production of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, and receipt of child pornography. It carries three criminal forfeiture allegations, which would let the government take property tied to the charges on conviction. If convicted, he faces between 15 years and life in prison. The case, United States v. Valdez, is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

All four counts concern one complainant the indictment calls Juvenile Victim 1. The conduct charged ended on or about Oct. 14, 2025.

The government's memorandum opposing release, filed Feb. 20, says Valdez, then 36, arranged by Snapchat to collect a 15-year-old from her family's home and bring her by car to his residence on Endicott Street in Anchorage. Her sibling alerted their mother, who located her with a family tracking application, called Anchorage police and brought her daughter out. The memorandum says the child showed signs of extreme intoxication and had difficulty walking and staying conscious. It says Valdez left the residence when patrol officers responded. Three days later, on Feb. 20, an arrest warrant was returned executed and a magistrate judge signed a temporary order of detention. The memorandum says the child underwent a forensic sexual assault examination and was interviewed with her mother by the Anchorage Police Department's Crimes against Children Unit, where both identified Valdez. She said she had been introduced to Valdez by other children about a year earlier, when she would have been 13 or 14. The state crime lab identified a DNA sample, and the FBI served a warrant to compare profiles.

The filing also states that "The FBI has identified at least eleven other suspected juvenile victims of Mr. Valdez through a preliminary review of his Snapchat communications and use of the CashApp platform." Prosecutors describe the review as preliminary and the victims as suspected. None are charged. The memorandum says a burner Snapchat account was used "to geolocate, identify, and target juvenile victims in Anchorage and Juneau."

Social media posts, including some describing Valdez as chief of staff to state Sen. George Rauscher, have circulated on Bluesky since June and continued into recent weeks. No document reviewed for this report supports that claim. The indictment, the detention memorandum, the docket and Rauscher's legislative member page do not mention a chief of staff position, Rauscher or any legislative office. A Justice Department release announcing the arrest describes Valdez as a state employee working in Anchorage and Juneau, without naming an office.

The charges are allegations. No record reached for this report shows a plea, a trial date or a conviction. The Justice Department has asked anyone who encountered Valdez or the usernames "NONAME20233132" or "DOCHANK" to contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.