KC Reporter

A Honduran national was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Missouri, for the sexual exploitation of a child. Celso Noe Chacon-Arriaga, 22, residing in Springfield at the time of the offense, faces charges in a two-count indictment returned by the grand jury. This indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint filed against Chacon-Arriaga on August 8, 2024.

The indictment alleges that Chacon-Arriaga used a minor victim to produce child pornography from November 21 to December 30, 2020. He is also charged with receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to an affidavit supporting the original criminal complaint, Chacon-Arriaga engaged in sexually explicit conversations over Facebook Messenger with an 11-year-old victim. The victim sent several sexually explicit images and videos to Chacon-Arriaga.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan is prosecuting this case. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield Police Department, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.