Four Defendants Sentenced to a Combined 74 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

FAYETTEVILLE – Four Northwest Arkansas people were recently sentenced to federal prison for child exploitation offenses. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings, which was held in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.

On May 9, 2024, Darlina Maree Jasso, age 33 of Berryville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 120 months without the possibility of parole after being convicted of Transporting a Minor across State Lines to Engage in Sexual Activity. According to court documents, in May of 2022, an officer with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigations after it was discovered that Jasso had transported a 15-year-old female from the state of Missouri to her Berryville residence, with the intent that she and her boyfriend engage in sexual activity with the minor. Law enforcement ultimately discovered a surveillance video on Jasso’s phone capturing sexual activity between the two adults and the minor.  Law enforcement likewise found text message communications on the phone between the boyfriend and Jasso in which they detailed their plan to bring the minor down from her home in Missouri and the sexual conduct they intended to engage in with the minor.

On May 21, 2024, Charles Merchant, Age 32 of Berryville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison without the possibility for parole after being convicted of Transporting Child Pornography. Per court documents, in August of 2022, agents and task force officers with the Homeland Security Investigations received information that Merchant had uploaded images of child sexual abuse material to the social media platform KIK.  Federal law enforced subsequently executed a search warrant at Merchant’s residence and discovered multiple images of child pornography.

On May 23, 2024, Aaron Hudson, known also as Sophie Anne Hudson, age 32 of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison without the possibility for parole after being convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. Per court documents, in December of 2021, agents and task force officers with the Homeland Security Investigations received information that an individual had uploaded images of a child sexual abuse material to a website known to law enforcement as a platform for viewing and trading child pornography. During the resulting investigation, federal law enforced executed a search warrant at Hudson’s Rogers residence and discovered multiple images of child pornography along with multiple child size dolls used for sexual activity.

On May 24, 2024, Nathan Scott Wright, age 38 of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced to 600 months in federal prison without the possibility for parole after being convicted of both Sexual Exploitation of a Minor via the Production of Child Pornography and Transporting Child Pornography. Per court documents, in October of 2022, agents and task force officers with the FBI received information that Wright had uploaded images to Google servers of him sexually abusing an approximately 4-year-old female. Officers of the Benton County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI subsequently executed a search warrant at Wright’s Rogers residence and discovered multiple images of child pornography, including those depicting WRIGHT sexually abusing at least one minor. At sentencing, the United States presented the Court with evidence that Wright took images of himself sexually abusing a second minor.

U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office investigated the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted these cases on behalf of the United States.

These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.