Child Predator in Utah Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Carlos Arturo Aparicio Hernandez, aka Raiza Daniela Yasira Aparicio Hernandez, 40, of Taylorsville, Utah, was sentenced to 360 months' imprisonment after he pretended to be a minor female and communicated with a child victim on Facebook. The defendant convinced the victim to send sexually explicit photos and then extorted additional sexually explicit images and videos from the victim.

In addition to his term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow, sentenced Aparicio Hernandez to a lifetime term of supervised release.

According to court documents and admissions made at Aparicio Hernandez's change of plea and sentencing hearings, Aparicio Hernandez engaged in sexual conduct with a minor that he met on Facebook while pretending to be a minor female. Specifically, beginning on April 29, 2022, Aparicio Hernandez used his iPhone and iPad while acting as a minor female to communicate with an actual 14-year-old on Facebook. Over months of communications, Aparicio Hernandez convinced the teen to send him explicit photos and videos, which he later extorted for additional explicit images and videos from the victim. He also arranged on two occasions to meet the 14-year-old and engaged in illegal sexual activity, of which he produced images of the illegal sexual encounters and stored them on his electronic devices. Aparicio Hernandez also had sexually explicit photographs of other minors on his devices.

"Aparicio Hernandez is a danger to the children in our communities and elsewhere," said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. "The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims-especially child victims, who are the most vulnerable among us. His 30-year sentence is a stern reminder that we will track down, arrest and prosecute child predators."

"Protecting our community's most vulnerable is our highest priority," said West Valley City Police Chief Colleen Jacobs. "This sentence sends a clear message: anyone who uses social media to prey on children will be found, stopped, and held accountable."

"This predator's actions were deliberate, manipulative, and devastating," said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. "The FBI will continue to stand with our law enforcement partners to protect children, safeguard our communities, and ensure predators face the strongest consequences possible."

The case was investigated jointly by the West Valley City Police Department and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Carol A. Dain of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.