Sioux City, Iowa — A Sheldon man who distributed child pornography to a minor has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, 22-year-old Henry Araica-Gonzalez of Sheldon received the prison term on Thursday after a December guilty plea to Distribution of Child Pornography.
The US Attorney’s office tells us 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. They tell us Araica-Gonzalez further admitted that on at least one occasion he sent the videos to the victim.
The US Attorney’s Office says Araica-Gonzalez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand 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 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sergeant Bluff Police Department, and the Sheldon Police Department.
