Man sentenced for attempted production of child porn following South Dakota sting

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons has announced that a Thermal, California man has been sentenced following a conviction of Attempted Production of Child Pornography.

Juan Pedro Gobea, 34, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release. Once released, Gobea must register as a sex offender.

The conviction stemmed from an undercover chat sting operation in March 2024. Gobea attempted to persuade someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl to send him sexually explicit images.

Gobea used his online Reddit account to ask users for inappropriate pictures.