Thursday, July 11, 2019

Arizona Man Sentenced for Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography


United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Glendale, Arizona,   man convicted of Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography was sentenced on July 2, 2019, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Walter Curaba, age 49, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  

Curaba was one of five men who were arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2014 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting persons willing to pay to have sex with underage girls obtained through the Internet. All five men were indicted for Commercial Sex Trafficking.

The conviction stemmed from Curaba responding to a Craigslist.com advertisement posted by Division of Criminal Investigation undercover agents, which purported to offer young girls for sex. Following several messages with a person Curaba believed to be associated with a 12-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, he proceeded to negotiate the time and place they would meet, along with the price he would pay, which was $250.

The undercover operation and arrests were a joint effort between the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins prosecuted the case.

Curaba was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.  

No comments: