Pocatello man gets over 44 years in federal prison for producing child porn

POCATELLO — A man who pleaded guilty in federal court to producing child pornography has been sent to prison.

Hector Gabriel Aguayo, 31, pleaded guilty in May, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. At Tuesday’s hearing, Aguayo was sentenced to 530 months — 44 years and two months — in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye.

“This sentence shows our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, our children,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit, who led the team prosecuting the case against Aguayo.

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Aguayo was arrested last October following an investigation by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which was initiated when the task force received a tip that he was in possession of child pornography. Federal charges were filed two months later.

The tipster, who first reported the concern to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, provided law enforcement with an iPad that belonged to Aguayo.

After obtaining a search warrant, a Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputy and task force forensic analyst searched the iPad. According to the U.S. DOJ release, 550 photos and 198 videos of child pornography were discovered during the search.

Law enforcement determined that Aguayo himself had produced at least some of those pornographic files. Those files show Aguayo sexually assaulting a prepubescent handicapped child — who is nonverbal, according to a family friend who asked not to be named.

Officers also learned that Aguayo distributed those videos using the internet.

“Disabled children especially need our protection, and I am proud of our law enforcement partners whose tireless efforts led to a successful prosecution,” Hurwit says in the release.

In addition to the ICAC Task Force, Hurwit thanked Idaho Falls and Pocatello Police Departments and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office for their involvement in the investigation. He also credited the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations for its work on the case.

“HSI special agents won’t ever relent when it comes to protecting children and arresting individuals who prey on our most vulnerable,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest, said in the release. “Child sex abuse is one of the most serious crimes HSI investigates due to the lasting psychological and physical damage it can inflict on victims. We are proud to work closely with our law enforcement partners to make communities safer.”

When Aguayo is released from prison, he will then serve 15 years of supervised probation.