Tucson educator arrested in Yuma on sex tourism charge

A Tucson schools superintendent was arrested in Yuma Friday on suspicion of sexual exploitation of children after he allegedly tried to book a sex tour in neighboring Mexico.

Albert Thomas Rogers, 51, superintendent for the Tanque Verde Unified School District, allegedly contacted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) undercover special agent regarding a tour including the sexual exploitation of children in January.

Through continued communication with the agent, Rogers expressed interest in spending “relaxation intimacy,” to include sex, with a 13- to 14-year-old boy in Mexico, ICE said in a news release.

Rogers, who had requested a tour date of June 19, was arrested when he arrived in Yuma. In February, Rogers allegedly submitted a reservation form to ICE’s undercover operation in Yuma that included a $50 deposit.

ICE public affairs officer Vincent Picard said Rogers appeared before U.S. Magistrate Jay Irwin in Yuma on Monday. He was charged with one count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Picard said Rogers will be transferred to Phoenix for a detention hearing in federal court to determine whether he will be released on bail or remain in custody.

"We will be seeking an indictment before a grand jury," Picard said.

According to the criminal complaint against him, Rogers is also an associate principal at Emily Gray Junior High School in Tucson.

ICE agents are working with the Tucson Police Department to determine if Rogers’ alleged criminal activity extended to the workplace, according to Picard.

ICE began the undercover sex tourism operation in Yuma in 1997. Since that time, agents have arrested 43 suspects, including Rogers.

The investigation is part of Operation Predator, an ongoing ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423. The hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

“To pedophiles who think they can hide from the law by violating the innocence of children beyond our borders, our message is that we will do everything in our power and use every tool at our disposal to keep our children safe - whether they are around the block or around the world,” said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of ICE investigations in Arizona.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.