ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that James Stewart was sentenced to twenty years in the Department of Corrections after he was convicted of three counts of human trafficking. Here is a statement from the AG's office: Jurors found that between 2015 and 2018, Stewart, Sr. used his three minor children to panhandle around Albuquerque so he could use that money to buy drugs. All three children courageously testified against their father at trial.
“Protecting New Mexican children from predators is a top priority,” said Attorney General Balderas. “I am grateful that we partnered with courageous young abuse survivors to achieve justice and I commend them for their bravery in this case.”
The Office of the Attorney General is prosecuting three additional cases against Stewart Sr., in which he stands accused of additional charges of child abuse, human trafficking, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, criminal conspiracy, criminal sexual penetration of a minor and criminal sexual contact of a minor. The victims in those cases are also his minor children.
This case was investigated by special agents from the Office of the Attorney General and prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Brittany DuChaussee and Collin Brennan.