US Army Soldier Charged With Child Pornography Offenses

US Army Soldier Charged With Child Pornography Offenses.

A 35-year-old U.S. Army soldier has been indicted on deeply disturbing charges involving child sexual exploitation and the use of artificial intelligence to generate abusive content.

On May 14, a federal grand jury formally charged Seth Herrera, who previously lived in El Paso, with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and receiving child sexual abuse material.

The indictment, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice, follows a multi-agency investigation that spans years and crosses state lines.

Allegations Paint Disturbing Picture

According to federal court documents, Herrera is accused of not only downloading explicit material involving minors but also using AI tools to generate abuse images, allegedly based on children he personally knew.

Prosecutors say Herrera secretly took videos and photographs of minors undressing inside his own home in Texas.

These recordings, investigators claim, were later used to feed artificial intelligence programs capable of producing hyper-realistic sexual images of children.

Previous Charges in Alaska

This isn’t the first time Herrera has come under legal scrutiny. While stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, he was previously charged with transporting and possessing child pornography, including AI-generated content.

Those earlier charges laid the foundation for what’s now become a wider federal case. Authorities believe Herrera’s alleged behavior may have spanned multiple years, beginning as early as 2021.

Investigators and Prosecutors Mobilize

The latest indictment is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, with support from the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the criminal probe.

The case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide DOJ initiative aimed at rooting out child exploitation online and offline.

“The use of artificial intelligence to exploit children adds a deeply disturbing dimension to an already heinous crime,” said Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Herrera remains in federal custody. As of this week, no trial date has been set.

If convicted, he could face lengthy mandatory prison sentences. The charges carry severe penalties, especially in cases involving minors and the use of digital tools to create abusive content.

The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities are encouraging anyone with information related to Herrera or similar cases to contact Homeland Security Investigations. 

Project Safe Childhood is a national initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 to combat the rise in child sexual exploitation, particularly crimes committed through the internet and digital technology.

At its core, the program focuses on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing crimes involving the sexual abuse of minors.

The initiative brings together federal prosecutors, local and state law enforcement, and child advocacy groups to form a coordinated response to online child exploitation.

This includes working closely with agencies like Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and organizations such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

A major part of Project Safe Childhood involves rescuing victims, tracking down offenders, and strengthening legal responses to crimes such as the distribution of child sexual abuse material, child sex trafficking, and the use of technology to lure or exploit minors.

Over the years, the program has expanded to cover a wide range of child exploitation offenses, including those committed on tribal lands and involving military personnel.

Public education is also a key part of its mission, with campaigns aimed at helping parents and children stay safe online.

Through a mix of enforcement, victim support, and public awareness, Project Safe Childhood remains one of the Justice Department’s most important tools in the fight against child exploitation in the digital age.  

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