Sheldon Man Sentenced to 12 years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

A man who distributed child pornography to a minor was sentenced today, April 18, 2024, to 12 years in federal prison.

Henry Araica-Gonzalez, age 22, from Sheldon, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 5, 2023, guilty plea to Distribution of Child Pornography.

Evidence showed that in February 2023, a minor victim disclosed a sexual relationship with Araica-Gonzalez and an investigation began.  Law enforcement executed a search warrant and during an interview with law enforcement, Araica-Gonzalez admitted he knew the victim was a minor, admitted to the sexual relationship, and admitted he filmed some of the sexual encounters on both his and her phones.  Araica-Gonzalez further admitted that on at least one occasion he sent the videos to the victim.

Araica-Gonzalez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Araica-Gonzalez was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines and assessments. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Araica-Gonzalez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sergeant Bluff Police Department, and Sheldon Police Department and 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 CR23-4031.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.