Former chief of staff for state senator makes first court appearance on child sex trafficking charges

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A former chief of staff of a Mat-Su state senator made his first court appearance Monday after being handed an indictment with charges for sex trafficking children.

Craig Scott Valdez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.

Valdez arrived in court handcuffed and in orange prison attire. His attorney, Federal Public Defender Gretchen Staft, put in a not guilty plea to the four charges against Valdez.

The 36-year-old Valdez was the chief of staff for Sen. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, before his arrest on Friday.

In a statement released Friday, Rauscher called the revelations a “shock to my office,” adding that Valdez was terminated from his job.

“I do not have anything more to say, other than we need the justice system to take its course as the process continues,” Rausher said in his statement.

The victim named in Valdez’s indictment and their family were also in court for the arraignment. Staft confirmed they want a jury trial, but waived Valdez’s right to a speedy trial, with a trial setting conference set for April 2.

Valdez is currently in custody at the Anchorage Correctional Complex. Federal prosecutors are asking the judge to keep him in custody while the case proceeds. A detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday to determine whether he will be allowed out on bail or remain in custody.

Court documents claim Valdez used the social media app Snapchat to identify, groom and entice underage girls in Alaska for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The victim named in the indictment was a juvenile Valdez picked up from their family’s home and brought them to his house in an attempt to sexually exploit them, the court documents claim.

The four charges Valdez faces are one count of sex trafficking children, sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of children, and sexual exploitation of a child. If convicted, Valdez faces between 15 years to life in federal prison, according to the FBI.

In a detention memo filed Friday, prosecutors described Valdez as a “compulsive child exploitation offender” engaging in “high-volume conduct” targeting children as young as 13 in Alaska. A preliminary review of his Snapchat communications and CashApp activity revealed at least 11 other suspected juvenile victims beyond the one named in the indictment.

The FBI is asking anyone with information about Valdez’s alleged actions — or anyone who may have encountered someone using the name “Craig Scott Valdez” or the usernames “NONAME20233132” or “DOCHANK” in person or online — to contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or submit a tip anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.

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