Yuma Resident Sentenced to 25 Years for Producing, Distributing, and Possessing Child Pornography

      PHOENIX – On Dec. 17, 2018, Aaron Louis Turk, 32, of Yuma, Ariz., was sentenced to 300 months in prison by Chief U. S. District Judge G. Murray Snow.  Turk had previously pleaded guilty to producing child pornography involving two minors, distributing child pornography, and possessing child pornography. 

     In his plea agreement, Turk admitted that he produced and possessed illegal child pornography images of two toddler-age girls, along with other child pornography.  The toddlers were in Turk’s care when he produced the illegal images of them. Turk was first detected on a file sharing network which led to a federal search warrant being executed at his residence in Yuma, Ariz.  Law enforcement seized a computer and a cell phone used by Turk, both of which contained child pornography images. 

     The Court also ordered Turk pay restitution to all identified victims, and serve a lifetime term of supervised release after his release from prison.

     “The defendant’s lengthy sentence in this case is well-deserved,” stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange.  “The defendant’s reprehensible conduct targeted not only very young children, but children who had been placed in his care.  I would like to recognize and thank the Yuma Homeland Security Investigation agents whose hard work brought this predator to justice.”

     “HSI Yuma will work tirelessly to investigate and bring to justice sexual predators like Mr. Turk who exploit our most vulnerable population,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge for HSI Phoenix. “This sick and deviant behavior will not be tolerated by society. Thankfully the victims we rescued are out of harm’s way with the defendant serving a lengthy sentence.”

     The investigation in this case was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations, Yuma Office.  The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:                 2:17-cr-00932-GMS-1

RELEASE NUMBER:           2018-172_Turk

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