(José Niño, Headline USA) According to a report by TiffinOhio.net, the chief of staff to an Alaska state senator was arrested Friday in Juneau on federal charges of sex trafficking a 15-year-old girl along with child exploitation, coercion, enticement, and production of child sexual abuse material.
Craig Scott Valdez, 36, served as chief of staff to Sutton Republican Senator George Rauscher since November 2024 and worked in Rauscher’s office since 2021, according to the government staffing database Legistorm. Rauscher was not immediately available for comment.
A spokesperson for the Senate Minority Caucus, of which Rauscher is a member, announced Friday afternoon that Valdez had been terminated from his employment with the Legislature effective immediately.
Valdez also chaired the Anchorage Young Republicans since January 2025, according to the organization’s social media posts. A spokesperson for the Alaska Republican Party stated Friday that the charges were “nothing short of horrifying” and confirmed Valdez had been removed from any and all positions within the Alaska Republican Party and Young Republicans.
Federal prosecutors charged Valdez with four felonies including sex trafficking, child exploitation, production of child sexual abuse material (formerly referred to as child pornography), coercion and enticement of a minor, and receipt of child sexual abuse material.
The charges stem from an October incident in which Valdez allegedly lured a 15-year-old girl to his Anchorage home through Snapchat “for the purposes of sexually exploiting the child to celebrate his birthday,” according to court documents.
The girl’s sibling alerted their mother, who used a tracking app to locate her daughter and drove to Valdez’s residence where she intervened. Court documents state the mother “entered the residence, struck Valdez once in the face, and recovered the child who exhibited signs of extreme drug or alcohol intoxication and had difficulty walking and maintaining consciousness.”
Police arrived at the scene but Valdez had fled the home.
The mother recovered her daughter’s phone and captured screenshots of the Snapchat messages, which she provided to law enforcement. The victim reported she was introduced to Valdez through other children when she was 13 or 14 years old. Federal agents stated they believe this was not the first time Valdez exploited the girl and suspect he victimized others.
The FBI has identified at least 11 additional victims after reviewing Valdez’s Snapchat communications and his use of the CashApp payment platform. Operating under the usernames “NONAME20233132” or “DOCHANK,” the FBI stated Valdez exhibited a “compulsive pattern of behavior bombarding children he finds on Snapchat with requests for sexually explicit images and even more concerning, causing and attempting to cause children to engage in commercial sex acts.”
The investigation continues under the direction of the FBI Anchorage office and the Anchorage Police Department. The agencies encourage anyone with additional information to report anonymously to tips.fbi.gov.
Valdez is scheduled to appear in federal court on February 23. If convicted, he faces between 15 years and life in federal prison.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
