Man gets 22 years for child porn

A 33-year-old Russellville man who admitted using an infant to produce child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

Carson Arcia was indicted Aug. 1, 2017, on three charges accusing him of producing, receiving, distributing and possessing child pornography, after an investigation by Homeland Security agents that began in 2015 when they discovered child pornography being shared on the Internet and traced the images to him.

On April 30, Arcia pleaded guilty to a single count of production of child pornography, admitting that he made a video of himself with a baby girl who was on a changing table. He admitted pushing the baby's diaper to the side, focusing his camera on the exposed area and masturbating next to her, touching her leg with his penis.

Federal agents searched Arcia's home on July 23, 2015, and a forensic examination of several electronic devices they seized revealed more than 1,800 still photos and more than 600 videos of child pornography, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Prosecutors said the agents discovered that some of the videos had been created by Arcia himself and showed "a progression of deviant sexual behavior" that began with sneaking up behind women in stores, laundromats and other locations and filming up their skirts. Later videos showed him approaching children in public locations, exposing himself and filming their reactions, sometimes while children were in shopping carts or standing next to their parents, prosecutors said.

In a sentencing memorandum that helped U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall agree to shave several years off Arcia's sentence, defense attorney Bill James of Little Rock said Arcia himself had been molested as a child, beginning at the age of 3. Arcia is also the father of three young children, James noted.

James sought a sentence of 15 years rather than the 27-to-33-year sentence range recommended by federal sentencing guidelines, arguing that "the sexual abuse that Mr. Arcia endured in his childhood is a contributing factor to the decisions that have put Mr. Arcia in this situation."

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Bragg.

The absence of parole in the federal system means that Arcia will have to serve the full 22 years before he is eligible for release. Marshall ordered him to register as a sex offender and have no contact with minors upon his release.

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Metro on 09/20/2018

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