Honduran National Indicted for Child Sexual Exploitation

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Honduran national was indicted by a federal grand jury today for the sexual exploitation of a child.

Celso Noe Chacon-Arriaga, 22, who was residing 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 replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Chacon-Arriaga on Aug. 8, 2024.

Today’s indictment alleges that Chacon-Arriaga used a minor victim to produce child pornography from Nov. 21 to Dec. 30, 2020. 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 victim sent several sexually explicit images and videos to Chacon-Arriaga.

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.

Project Safe Childhood

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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."