Jonathan D. Ross U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Giovanni Ibarra, a 27-year-old resident of Sherwood, Arkansas, has been sentenced to 350 months in federal prison for producing child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and was handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr., on February 12, 2026.
Ibarra was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 9, 2024, facing two counts of production of child pornography and three counts related to distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to one count of production on July 28, 2025. In addition to his prison term, Ibarra will be subject to ten years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children submitted a CyberTipline Report to the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office on September 5, 2024. The report concerned videos uploaded to the KIK social media platform during May and June of that year that depicted adults engaging in sexual acts with children, including an infant.
Investigators obtained records from an internet provider linked to the uploads and identified a subscriber associated with the content on August 29, 2024. On September 23, agents found images matching those from the videos on a Facebook page belonging to this subscriber. Surveillance conducted at the subscriber’s Sherwood residence led agents to identify Ibarra as one of two men leaving the house; he was later seen at a local retail store.
Further inquiry with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed Ibarra received mail at the address under surveillance. When arrested, Ibarra consented to an interview and allowed agents to search his phone. He admitted uploading videos involving an infant he knew personally and sharing them because others requested such material online. He also acknowledged watching and then deleting one video due to its illegal nature.
“Giovanni Ibarra is a despicable human being who took advantage of vulnerable children to satisfy his wicked sexual desires,” stated Ross. “This defendant did not care about the harm he inflicted upon these children and their families, but as demonstrated by the excellent work on this investigation, our law enforcement partners do. This sentence serves as a warning to others that if you commit heinous acts against children, our office will seek to have you sent to federal prison for the greatest length of time as the law will allow.”
“This investigation and the resulting sentence highlight Homeland Security Investigations’ steadfast commitment to combating child exploitation and ensuring that sexual predators like Ibarra are brought to justice. Through our strong partnerships with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other law enforcement partners, HSI will continue to leverage every available resource to protect children and hold offenders accountable,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans.
The case falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started in May 2006 by the Department of Justice—to coordinate efforts among federal, state, and local agencies targeting online child exploitation crimes while aiming both for prosecution of offenders and identification/rescue of victims (https://www.justice.gov/psc). Authorities urge parents to monitor their children's internet use closely.
The investigation involved cooperation between several agencies: Arkansas Attorney General’s Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations; and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant prosecuted the case.
