16 victims connected to arrest of former Colorado teacher who allegedly sexually exploited kids "under ruse of hypnosis session"

A man who says he is one of at least sixteen victims in an elaborate and disturbing criminal ring that was busted in Colorado is hoping sharing his story could inspire other potential victims to come forward. On Tuesday, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office announced they had arrested former Colorado teacher and 39-year-old suspect, Patricio Illanes on Monday night. Illanes is facing 50 charges of sexual exploitation of a child after more than a decade of working with children.

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.

"He reached out to me. He said that I look good. He was asking me for my name, for information," said Pantojas.

Pantojas said Illanes would allegedly send sexual messages online and encourage Pantojas to send his own.

"He showed me pictures of some of these boys that were under control," he said, referring to a hypnosis state. "Some of them were naked. Some of them were in their underwear."

Pantojas says he tried to forget it all, but this fall, about three years later, he says Sophie Berman, a detective from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, reached out to him.

"Officer Sophie contacted me through email, letting me know that I was either in his Google drive or in his photos," Pantojas said.

Berman works in the forensics lab with the sheriff's office and says the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab began investigating in September 2025 after receiving three tips that a Meta, Inc. account was creating and selling sexually explicit content.

"Because of my experience in this line of work, it was explicit, and it triggered something in me to dig a little deeper," Berman said.

Boulder County Sheriff's Office Investigators determined the account belonged to Illanes and searched his personal cellphone. They say that multiple sexually explicit videos featuring juveniles were discovered on the device and had been shared on various encrypted messaging applications and subscription-based pornography sites.

Illanes worked with kids for the last 15 years in schools and other programs across the Front Range and Denver metro area. Detective Berman said she visited every location she could. Berman says when they informed Illanes' current school in Arvada of the investigation the school put him on leave.

"This particular person worked in schools in Colorado, and that to me, put this as a top priority," Berman said, "We have identified multiple juveniles that were under the ruse of a hypnosis session."

Boulder County Sheriff's office put in their press release that: "...Illanes photographed and filmed juveniles who were asked to "perform a script" in front of a green screen mimicking a hypnotic state. he later edited the imagery for sexual gratification... " BCSO reports 16 victims have been identified so far, including four people out of state who told investigators they were minors at the time of their role-play sessions. The four people reported that Illanes instructed them to remove articles of clothing and perform sexually explicit acts. Investigators also found other photographs depicting clothed students in a school setting pretending to be hypnotized.

BCSO said Illanes has worked at several other programs and schools that gave him access to children, including:

2010-2015 City of Longmont Children and Youth Services

2013-2025 TGTHR (formerly Attention Homes) in Boulder and Longmont

2013-2017 New Meridian Alternative High School (formerly Olde Columbine) in Longmont

2015-2021 Longmont Library - Children and Teens Section

2017-2019 Centaurus High School in Lafayette

2019-2020 Mapleton School District in Denver

2019-2023 Erie Middle School

2019-2023 Erie High School

2024-2025 Arvada Senior High School 

Berman explained, "I think the most important thing for a child to hear is, it's not your fault. It's not your fault. You are a child. You are taken advantage of."

As Berman explained there are at least 16 victims right now, she said she is still trying to find others.  The Boulder County Sheriff's Office also says there is a separate investigation still ongoing for another adult who is a person of interest related to this issue.

"Even today, with the press release, I've received several calls, and 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," Berman said.

Pantojas says he hopes report their experience if they feel comfortable. "Yes, it hurt. Did I cry about this? Yes, because it hurts to feel I got taken advantage of," Pantojas said, "Seeing him get caught, it was a shock, but knowing that he was going to get caught and put behind bars is the relief."

Nearly every one of Illanes' former employers report they never received any formal complaints against Illanes, but the St. Vrain Valley School District said they couldn't share if anyone ever shared concerns about Illanes due to privacy laws. Jefferson County School District said they are not aware of any victims in their school district, but did not say if anyone had ever raised concerns about 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.

Investigators are seeking additional information from former students and coworkers who may have details related to his case. Anyone with a child who may have been victimized by Illanes is encouraged to call:

Arvada Police Department – call dispatch at 303-980-7300.

Boulder County Sheriff's Office (unincorporated Boulder County, Lyons, Nederland, or Superior) - call Detective Sophie Berman at 720-564-2678.

Boulder Police Department - call the Boulder Police Tip Line at 303-441-1974. Please provide a way for an investigator to return your call.

Erie Police Department – call 303-441-4444 and press 2 for the Erie Police Department. Please reference case report 26-004.

Lafayette Police Department - contact Detective Anna Curran at 303-604-3504 or anna.curran@lafayetteco.gov.

Longmont Public Safety– call Sergeant Todd Chambers at 303-651-8521.