Pensacola Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Christopher M. Arguelles, 34, of Pensacola, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison today and a lifetime of supervised release as a federal sex offender.  On November 15, 2018, Arguelles pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography.  The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

In February 2018, while a telecommunications provider was assisting Arguelles with his slow running cellular telephone, the provider observed a large amount of pornography on the phone, including a folder titled “underage.”  Several days later, Arguelles, a sex offender, was arrested for failure to register a change in his residence, and his cellular telephone was seized.  A forensic review of the device revealed images and videos of child pornography both on the phone and on the memory card.  Examples of subfolder titles were “Sammy 14 yo,” “15yo Jen,” and “14 year old Erin.”  Some of the child pornography involved females under age 12.  Arguelles also maintained a cloud storage account with similar illicit materials.

U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “I am proud that prosecutors, law enforcement professionals, and North Floridians are all working together to bring child predators to justice and protect the most innocent members of our communities from exploitation.”

“This case highlights the value of vigilance by members of the community, who come forward and work with law enforcement when they see something wrong,” said Charles P. Spencer, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.  “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to working together to protect and serve, but we are far more effective when the community also works with us.  We appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in the case, and their unwavering commitment to protect our children.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office – First Judicial Circuit, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.