Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Uriah Jordan Buffalo Chief-Torrez, II, a resident of Sioux City, Iowa, has entered a guilty plea in federal court on January 21, 2025. He admitted to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.
During the plea hearing, Buffalo Chief-Torrez confessed to one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. In discussions with law enforcement officials, he acknowledged that individuals on various social media platforms attempted to show and sell him such material. Specifically, he mentioned that people on Telegram sold him "CP" for $65. He further admitted to viewing approximately 15 or 16 videos containing child pornography and downloading similar content on nine occasions while streaming others via social media. The materials included depictions of sadistic or masochistic acts as well as the sexual abuse and exploitation of infants or toddlers.
Sentencing will be scheduled after the preparation of a presentence report by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Until then, Buffalo Chief-Torrez remains in custody under the supervision of the United States Marshal. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a potential maximum sentence reaching up to 40 years. Additionally, he could be fined $250,000 and subjected to supervised release ranging from five years to life following any imprisonment.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices along with the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. It brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders who exploit children sexually while also identifying and rescuing victims. Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc; details regarding internet safety education are available under the “resources” tab on the same website.
