Local senator's chief of staff arrested on sex trafficking, child exploitation charges

The FBI has arrested an Anchorage man February 20 in Juneau following an Alaska federal grand jury indictment charging him with sex trafficking children, sexual exploitation of children-production of child pornography, coercion and enticement of children and receipt of child pornography.

According to public court documents, Craig Scott Valdez, 36, used the popular social media app Snapchat to identify, groom and entice juvenile females in Alaska for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Valdez is charged with one count of Sex Trafficking of Children; one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Production of Child Pornography); one count of Coercion and Enticement of Children; and one count of Receipt of Child Pornography.

The indictment charges this conduct in relation to one minor victim from an incident occurring in October 2025, in which Valdez allegedly lured a 15-year-old girl to his Anchorage home.

However, investigators believe Valdez has victimized or attempted to victimize other juveniles in Anchorage and Juneau, with the FBI indicating that they have identified at least 11 other potential victims. Investigators are seeking the public’s help as their investigation continues, asking anyone who may have encountered someone using the name “Craig Scott Valdez” or usernames “NONAME20233132” or “DOCHANK” in person or online, to contact them.

Valdez had worked as state Senator George Rauscher’s chief of staff since November. Rauscher represents Wasilla in the Alaska State Senate. Reports indicate Valdez was terminated Friday hours after the charges were made public. Valdez was also elected as chair of the Anchorage Young Republicans in January, 2025 and became the group’s state committee chair last month.

Sen. Rauscher put out a statement, saying that he was informed of the arrest and federal investigation involving the serious charges on February 22, saying he trusts the Department of Justice to handle the matter appropriately.

“This is a shock to my office. The employee was terminated. I do not have anything more to say, other than we need the justice system to take its course as the process continues.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department are investigating this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, utilizing federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Valdez is expected to make his initial District Court appearance on Feb. 23. If convicted, he faces between 15 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

If anyone has information concerning Valdez’s alleged actions or may have encountered him, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously at www.tips.fbi.gov.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.Justice.gov/PSC.

This is a developing story.