Fredy D. Argueta booking photo. (Photo: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A 54-year-old Nibley man is headed to prison for sexting with underage children, possessing forged documents and downloading child pornography. Fredy Danilo Argueta received the maximum sentence after telling a judge what he had done was “really bad.”
Argueta was sentenced Monday afternoon in 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; enticing a minor and possessing a forgery device, both third-degree felonies.
Logan City Police officers began investigating Argueta in 2021, after receiving a cyber-tip, indicating child sexual abuse material had been distributed on social media. Numerous chats were later obtained containing sexually explicit conversations with minors.
Officers traced an internet IP address to a physical address, where a search warrant was executed and Argueta was taken into custody. He has been held in the Cache County Jail without bail since November 2021.
During an initial search of some of Argueta’s electronic devices, multiple images or videos were located, primarily depicting the abuse of male children. Evidence was also uncovered that he had engaged in sexually explicit conversations and exchanged sexually explicit material with minors.
While executing the search warrant, police also located several false documents, including false social security cards, false permanent resident cards, a false employment authorization card and a false driver’s license, among others.
During Monday’s sentencing, defense attorney Mary Martinez-Spainhour asked the court to sentence Argueta to jail since he doesn’t speak English and is diabetic. She said prison wouldn’t help her client, who is expected to be deported following his sentence.
Argueta spoke through a Spanish interpreter, asking for forgiveness and another chance to prove himself. He blamed his actions on the results of having a stroke and getting sick.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Andrew Crane asked the court to sentence Argueta to prison. He said crimes of this nature don’t just impact the child victims but also the investigators, prosecutors and the judges who have to review the evidence.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck said she was concerned with the number of young victims Argueta was contacting on the internet. She sentenced him to three terms of one to 15-years in prison and two terms of zero to five-years in prison. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning the defendant could be eligible for parole after one year.
Judge Fonnesbeck said she would recommend to the parole board that Argueta be given credit for the 391 days already served in jail.
will@cvradio.com