A federal grand jury has indicted Seth Herrera, a 35-year-old former U.S. Army soldier from El Paso, Texas, on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and receiving files depicting child sexual abuse. The indictment was returned on May 14.
The investigation is being conducted by special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.
Court documents allege that Herrera used encrypted messaging and network applications to seek out, receive, and download child sexual abuse material over several years starting in 2021. He is also accused of using artificial intelligence chatbots to create child sexual abuse content with images of children he knew. Additionally, he allegedly took unauthorized images and videos of these children undressing in his home in El Paso.
Herrera faces separate charges in Alaska related to the transportation, receipt, and possession of child sexual abuse material while stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg from the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory J. Rasmussen for the Western District of Texas.
This legal action falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts by federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders who exploit children online.
