Western District of Missouri | Honduran National Charged with Child Sexual Exploitation

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri – A Honduran national was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of sexual exploitation of a child.

Celso Noe Chacon-Arriaga, 22, who lived in Springfield at the time of the offense, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Today’s indictment supersedes a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Chacon-Arriaga on August 8, 2024.

Today’s indictment alleges that from November 21, 2020 through December 30, 2020, Chacon-Arriaga used a minor victim to produce child pornography. Chacon-Arriaga is also charged with receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Chacon-Arriaga engaged in sexually explicit conversations over Facebook Messenger with an 11-year-old victim. The child sent Chacon-Arriaga several sexually explicit images and videos.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Southwest Missouri Cyber ​​Crimes Task Force.

Safe Childhood Project

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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Abuse and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab.