Sheldon Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography

Henry Araica-Gonzalez, age 22, from Sheldon, Iowa, plead guilty in federal court on December 5, 2023, to Distribution of Child Pornography.

At the plea hearing, Araica-Gonzalez admitted that he distributed and attempted to distribute child pornography, using a means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce.  Araica-Gonzalez further admitted in a plea agreement that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor, that he knew the age of the minor at the time, and that he filmed several of the assaults on both his and the victim’s phones.  Araica-Gonzalez also admitted the videos of exploitative material contained displays of sadistic and masochistic conduct.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Araica-Gonzalez was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Araica-Gonzalez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sergeant Bluff Police Department, and Sheldon Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 23-CR-4031.

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