A former Army solider pleaded guilty last week to child exploitation crimes he committed while living in Alaska and Texas, the Department of Justice announced.
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Seth Herrera, 36, from El Paso, pleaded guilty to child exploitation crimes, including attempted production of child sexual abuse material depicting minors known to him and trafficking of CSAM.
According to prosecutors, Herrera sought out and shared illegal content by browsing the dark web and using encrypted messaging services and would take non-explicit photos of children, some known to him, and use artificial intelligence to undress and morph bodies to make them seem like they were engaging in sexually explicit content.
Herrera entered his plea under a global plea agreement after the Western District of Texas transferred their case to the District of Alaska on June 15, 2026.
Herrera is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29. He is facing between 15 and 20 years in prison.
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Herrera started using The Onion Router and multiple encrypted applications to access, receive and transport CSAM on his cell phones. They said he created his own publicly accessible group to store files on one of the applications.
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In March 2021, prosecutors said Herrera started taking photos and videos of children known to him in El Paso and in December 2022 he used security cameras around his home to capture screenshots of minors. The DOJ said he would later use AI to undress and make them appear to engage in sexually explicit content.
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Army soldier faces child sexual abuse, pornography related charges
Seth Herrera, a U.S. Army soldier, was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and receiving files of child sexual abuse, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs.
Herrera moved to Alaska in August 2023 and transported the files across state lines in password-protected photo vaults on his phones.
He was arrested at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, where he served as a specialist after being indicted on charges of transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography. He was indicted a second time by a grand jury for the Western District of Texas on charges of production and receipt of child pornography from his time in El Paso.
Hererra belonged to over 400 Telegram and 1,400 Telegram channels dedicated to CSAM, according to the DOJ. Law enforcement discovered tens of thousands of videos and images when Hererra’s devices were seized in 2024.
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