Van Buren Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Federal Prison For Interstate Transportation Of A Minor

FORT SMITH – A Van Buren man was sentenced yesterday to 360 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on one count of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. The Honorable Judge P. K. Holmes III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith.

According to court documents, in September of 2014, Jeffrey Callen Gonzagowski Jr., 39, transported a minor, across state lines from Mt Ida, Arkansas to Oklahoma. During this time Gonzagowski sexually assaulted the minor. Gonzagowski was arrested in December 2020 and pled guilty in March 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted the case for the United States.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.