Bismarck Man Convicted of Child Pornography Charge

BISMARCK– U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on April 9, 2014, Garron Gonzalez, 38, Bismarck, N.D., was found guilty by a federal jury in U.S. District Court on a charge of attempted sexual exploitation of minors.

Gonzalez attempted to persuade a 15-year-old person to send him sexually explicit visual depictions using a cell phone. The two had met while playing an online video game.

The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of minors carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison up to 50 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the North Dakota State Parole & Probation Office, with the assistance of the Morton County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Sentencing for Gonzalez will be scheduled in three to four months in U.S. District Court in Bismarck, N.D.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme is prosecuting the case.