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SYRACUSE — A Department of Defense contractor who had access to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center has been arrested after investigators serving a search warrant reported finding child pornography and possible classified government documents at his house.
Investigators say they received "multiple child pornography images and videos" from the IP address of Felix Jason Espinoza, 38, during the month of February, according to charging documents.
A search warrant was executed at Espinoza's Syracuse home on Feb. 27, where Davis County Attorney's Office investigators and Air Force special investigators found over 500 pictures and videos of children "ranging in age from toddler to 13 years old" being sexually abused, on devices uniquely tied to Espinoza, the charges state.
Air Force special investigators also found a thumb drive labeled "Secret" and "Property of U.S. Government" in the house, along with handwritten notes that appeared to be related to "classified government assets," an additional search warrant affidavit states.
For the past four years, Espinoza has been working on extremely sensitive nuclear weapons projects for the military. He worked as a systems engineer on the Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missile program at Hill Air Force Base, and more recently as an engineer with Northrop Grumman, working on an engineering team with the Sentinel project, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The warrant says Espinoza "was involved in active (Department of Defense) contracts and previously had access" to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center in Kirtland, New Mexico.
A spokesperson for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center said in a statement: "We are aware of an ongoing investigation involving a defense industry contractor who previously worked at Hill AFB," referring inquiries to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, which did not respond to request for comment.
Espinoza is charged in 2nd District Court with two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a first-degree felony, and six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
It's unknown whether any charges connected to classified documents have been filed against Espinoza. The warrant indicates he was being investigated for potential burglary of a research facility.
