Overview
- On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 36‑year‑old Seth Herrera pleaded guilty under a global agreement to federal charges including attempted production and trafficking of child sexual abuse material.
- Herrera faces a statutory prison range of 15 to 20 years and will be sentenced on Sept. 29, 2026 by a federal judge who will apply the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
- Prosecutors say Herrera used TOR, multiple encrypted apps and hundreds of Telegram groups and channels to find, store and share CSAM and created a public online group that received more than 100 uploads in six weeks.
- Starting in December 2022, investigators say Herrera used AI chatbots to undress and morph images, including photos of children he knew, and also secretly produced at least 28 photos and two videos of one minor from nearby security cameras.
- The case, investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Army CID and prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section with U.S. Attorney offices in Alaska and Texas, underscores enforcement challenges from encryption and emerging AI misuse and is part of the DOJ’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.