Former Fort Bliss soldier pleads guilty to child exploitation crimes
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A former Fort Bliss soldier pleaded guilty Wednesday to child exploitation crimes while living in Alaska and Texas, the Justice Department said. The department said 36-year-old Seth Herrera attempted to make and traffic child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Court documents said Starting in March 2021, Herrera used encrypted and privacy-enhancing applications to look at, own and send CSAM on his phones.
He used cell phones to browse the dark web and encrypted messaging apps for CSAM, the DOJ said.
He also made a public group on one of the platforms to store CSAM files, uploading more than 100 files to the group in six weeks, the DOJ said.
Across different apps, he participated in hundreds of online groups dedicated to CSAM, the DOJ said. At the time, he was in more than 400 Telegram groups and 1,400 Telegram channels.
In May 2024, law enforcement took away Herrera's devices and found tens of thousands of CSAM, the DOJ said.
Starting December 2022, Herrera used artificial intelligence chatbots to create CSAM, the DOJ said. The department said he would ask AI to undress and morph children's bodies to appear as if they engaged in sexually explicit acts.
Some of the pictures included children he knew personally, the DOJ said.
Herrera used photos and videos of children he knew in El Paso and screenshots of children through security cameras around his home, the DOJ said.
Using his security cameras, he produced at least 28 pictures and two videos of one child alone, according to the DOJ.
In August 2023, Herrera moved to Alaska, transporting CSAM across state lines by storing them in password-protected photo vaults on his phones, officials said.
While serving as a Specialist at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, he was arrested on Aug. 23, 2024, the DOJ said. A grand jury in Texas indicted him on production and receipt of child pornography related to his conduct in El Paso.
Herrera entered a plea under an agreement after the Western District of Texas transferred the case to the District of Alaska on June 15.
Herrera's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 29 and faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, the DOJ said.
