Colorado authorities believe additional victims may exist in the case of Patricio Alejandro Illanes, a former teacher who had access to children across multiple schools and districts for about 15 years prior to his arrest.
Illanes, 39, was arrested on January 5, 2026 by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office following a months-long investigation into allegations of child exploitation. The investigation began in September 2025, after authorities received three CyberTips from Meta, Inc. According to BCSO’s press release, “The suspect account, later confirmed to be owned and operated by Illanes, was reported for creating and selling sexually explicit content.”
Illanes is facing forty felony charges of child sexual exploitation, along with ten misdemeanor counts of unlawful practice of occupation or profession.
The Investigation Into Illanes
According to the press release, “The investigation led to a search of Illanes’ personal cell phone, which revealed multiple videos of apparent juveniles engaged in sexually explicit videos, which had been shared on various end-to-end encrypted messaging applications and other paid subscription pornography sites. It was also determined that [he] photographed and filmed juveniles who were asked to ‘perform a script’ in front of a green screen mimicking a hypnotic state.”
Illanes then allegedly edited the imagery for sexual gratification. The platforms he used removed the content and deactivated his accounts following law-enforcement inquiries.
Authorities determined that at least 16 minors were targeted. This includes four out-of-state individuals so far whom investigators have identified and interviewed. These individuals were juveniles when Illanes instructed them to perform sexually explicit acts and remove clothing during “hypnotic role-play sessions.” According to the press release “Additional hypnosis-like photographs were located, which appear to depict clothed students in a school setting.”
Some of the alleged incidents occurred at at least four schools and others occurred at his home. The victims ranged in age from 12 to 17. There were at least 4,000 photos and hundreds of videos. (9NEWS)
According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, there is also “a separate investigation still ongoing for another adult who is a person of interest related to this issue.” (CBS)
The investigation has involved multiple law-enforcement agencies, including police departments in Colorado, sheriff’s offices in Oregon, a police department in Ohio, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Charges Filed Against Patricio Illanes
Prosecutors have charged Illanes with 40 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child, related to creating material, publishing, selling, or distributing material, possession with intent to distribute, and producing a performance.
He also faces 10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful practice of an occupation or profession.
These are not the first criminal allegations involving Illanes.
“According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Illanes also has a criminal record that includes previous convictions of driving under the influence ranging from 2014 through 2024.” (CBS)
A Survivor Speaks Up
One survivor has publicly discussed his experience involving Illanes.
“North Carolina resident Diego Pantojas told CBS Colorado he was 16 in 2022 when he joined communities online about hypnosis. But Pantojas says he quickly found himself in an inappropriate conversation with a man in his 30s in Colorado that was allegedly Illanes.”
Pantojas reported that Illanes asked for his name and personal information and began sending him sexually explicit messages, encouraging Pantojas to send them in return. He also alleged that Illanes shared images depicting other minors in hypnosis states. Pantojas further reported that he was contacted in fall 2025 by Detective Sophie Berman of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office after investigators identified his images during a review of materials allegedly in Illanes’ possession.
Pantojas told CBS, “‘Seeing him get caught, it was a shock, but knowing that he was going to get caught and put behind bars is the relief.’”
Illanes’s Extensive Access to Children
Illanes was most recently employed as an English teacher at Arvada High School from August 2024 to October 2025. Per CBS, “he also served as a club sponsor and game worker for the school’s central athletics department.”
Illanes was placed on administrative leave on October 14, after BSCO notified the school of their investigation into Illanes. He was fired on December 18, according to CBS.
BCSO has released a list of places where Illanes had access to students:
- 2010-2015: City of Longmont Children and Youth Services, Longmont, CO
- 2013-2025: TGTHR (formerly known as Attention Homes) in Boulder and Longmont, CO
- 2013-2017: New Meridian Alternative High School (formerly known as Olde Columbine) Longmont, CO
- 2015-2021: Longmont Library – Children and Teens Section, Longmont, CO
- 2017-2019: Centaurus High School, Lafayette, CO
- 2019-2020: Mapleton School District (intern), Denver, CO
- 2019-2023: Erie Middle School, Erie, CO
- 2019-2023: Erie High School, Erie, CO
- 2024-2025: Arvada Senior High School, Arvada, CO
Law enforcement agencies are encouraging current or former students and coworkers with information regarding Illanes to come forward. They believe there may be additional victims.
Community Concerns
The case has prompted significant concern and discussion within the affected communities, particularly among parents at schools where Illanes previously worked.
Detective Sophie Bergman told CBS that she is still trying to find more victims. “‘ I just want to continue to encourage potential victims or parents to please talk to your children, ask them about this person and please report it. Please report it.’”
If you or your child was a victim of Illanes, please contact law enforcement. If you believe a child is being exploited online, you can report it at NCMEC’s CyberTipLine.
Unresolved Questions About Illanes’ Resignation and Rehiring
Investigative reporting by 9NEWS has raised ongoing questions about how concerns involving Illanes were addressed by one school district and how he later obtained employment in another.
Illanes taught at Erie Middle School and Erie High School between 2019 and 2023 within the St. Vrain Valley School District. In fall 2023, school administrators became aware of allegations that Illanes had filmed students and, “may have rubbed the back of one boy while he was shirtless.”
According to documents obtained by 9NEWS, “administrators substantiated some of the allegations. They could not reach a conclusion about assertions that he filmed a shirtless student and rubbed his back – in part because they did not have access to Illanes’ raw footage. He said he could not locate the computer card it was on.”
In December 2023, a district administrator formally recommended that Illanes not return to Erie Middle School or any school within the district.
Shortly thereafter, Illanes entered into a separation agreement with the district that permanently ended his employment, prohibited him from reapplying or volunteering in the district, and provided for continued salary payments through the remainder of the school year. The agreement also included confidentiality provisions and a waiver of legal claims from Illanes against the district.
In 2024, Illanes applied for a teaching position with Jeffco Public Schools and was later hired as an English teacher at Arvada High School.
When or whether information about the prior internal investigation was shared between districts remains disputed. Paperwork cited by 9NEWS reflects that St. Vrain Valley officials told a detective they were not contacted by Jeffco regarding the investigation, while Jeffco officials have stated they were unaware of any prior findings and would not have hired Illanes had they known. St. Vrain claims that even if Jeffco asked for the internal investigation report, “they had been served some sort of court document restricting them from sharing.”
An investigating detective noted receiving “varying versions of events” from the two districts concerning how Illanes was able to obtain subsequent employment.
Neither district has made administrators available to publicly address the discrepancy, leaving unresolved questions about reporting obligations in a case involving student safety.
Teaching License Status
Public records indicate that Patricio Alejandro Illanes currently holds an active Colorado teaching license. According to the Colorado Department of Education, Illanes holds a teacher’s license with an endorsement in English Language Arts (Grades 6–12). The license became effective on May 17, 2022, and is set to expire on May 17, 2029. His expired credentials include an Initial Teacher License and a Substitute authorization.
The continued active status of Illanes’ teaching license is notable given the prior internal investigation and subsequent criminal charges.
Potential Civil Liability for Schools
While the criminal case against Illanes addresses his individual alleged conduct, civil cases focus on whether institutions failed to protect children from foreseeable harm. Illanes’ history includes years of access to minors across multiple schools and youth-serving programs, a documented internal investigation, and a subsequent hiring decision that allowed him to continue working with children.
Civil investigations may examine whether schools adequately screened and supervised an alleged predator, enforced safety policies, responded appropriately to complaints, or reported critical information.
When an educator is the subject of substantiated internal findings serious enough to bar reemployment in one district, that circumstance constitutes a significant red flag, particularly if critical information was not shared.
Civil liability often examines what institutions knew or should have known, and whether reasonable steps were taken to prevent further harm.
Support From Andreozzi and Foote
If you or someone you love may have been harmed by Patricio Alejandro Illanes, you are not alone, and you do not have to navigate this on your own.
Many survivors of abuse by teachers or other authority figures do not immediately recognize what happened to them as abuse. Others may have raised concerns in the past and felt dismissed or ignored. It is important to recognize that survivors come forward on their own timelines. Choosing when and how to speak about what happened is deeply personal, and individuals may need time before they are ready to come forward.
Andreozzi + Foote represents survivors of school sexual abuse in civil cases nationwide.
Our work focuses on whether schools failed to protect students, mishandled internal investigations, ignored warning signs, or allowed someone with known concerns to continue working with children.
Speaking with our firm does not require you to file a lawsuit or speak publicly. It is simply an opportunity to explore your legal rights.
Our firm offers free, confidential consultations and a trauma-informed approach centered on dignity, clarity, and survivor choice.
Contact us today.
Image sources: Patricio Alejandro Illanes, courtesy of Boulder County. Arvada High School in Arvada, CO, © Google, Google Maps.
