PHOENIX, ARIZ. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Arizona), published as received.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A man who pleaded guilty to Producing Child Pornography involving a 14-year-old girl was sentenced on May 5, 2026, in federal court.

Agustin Julian Sauceda, 39, of Casa Grande, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 293 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sauceda previously pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 11, 2025.

“No one should exploit and sexually victimize children, least of all a public servant entrusted with serving his community,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “This case demonstrates that proactive law enforcement work in child pornography cases is critical to not only identify individuals clicking on illicit images, but also to uncover even more serious offenses, as occurred here.”

“As a firefighter, this individual was entrusted with protecting and serving his community. Instead, he betrayed that trust in the most egregious way possible,” said Jason T. Stevens, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: those who abuse positions of public trust to harm children will be held fully accountable. HSI and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue child predators, hold them accountable and will stop at nothing to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

Sauceda, who was employed as an Eloy Fire Battalion Chief, was detected in a file sharing network between June and September 2024 as he distributed child pornography files. A review of Sauceda’s electronic devices following a search of his home on Oct. 30, 2024, revealed 5,063 files that he had produced of a nude and partially nude 14-year-old victim. The images were taken between August 2022 and July 2024. Sauceda also possessed approximately 14,089 child pornography files of prepubescent children that he had received from the internet.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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, visit justice.gov/PSC.

Homeland Security Investigations-Arizona conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Casa Grande Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            24-CR-01898
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-073_Sauceda

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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