Tucumcari man gets 10 years in child exploitation

A Tucumcari man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trying to engage in sexual conduct with two fictitious minor children during an undercover FBI operation.

According to court documents, the investigation of Joseph Gadman, 42, began in December 2022, when an undercover FBI agent engaged him on a social networking website known to be a hub for child sexual abuse.

Using the screen name “Gadmanj40,” Gadman contacted the undercover agent and expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with the undercover agent’s fictitious children.

The conversation moved from the website to text messages, with Gadman providing his phone number to the agent.

In the text messages, Gadman detailed his desire to engage in sex acts with children 5 and 8 years old.

On Jan. 13, 2023, Gadman traveled from Tucumcari to an arranged location in Albuquerque with condoms, cash and snacks for the fictitious children.

When he arrived, FBI agents arrested him.

During a subsequent interview, Gadman admitted to being “Gadmanj40” but denied having intentions to follow through on the discussed acts.

Gadman listed himself in his Facebook profile as owner of KMAL 4.5 gospel radio and as a delivery driver for DoorDash. He also offered pet-sitting and house-sitting services in Tucumcari.

After completing his time in prison, Gadman will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced Gadman’s sentence last Tuesday.

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated Gadman with the help of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office as part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.