Sioux City Man Faces Up To 50 Years in Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

Gabriel Jauregui, age 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty August 5, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Jauregui was previously convicted of attempt to entice a minor in the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County in 2020. At the plea hearing, Jauregui admitted that between July 15, 2024, and August 20, 2025, Jauregui sexually exploited a sixteen-year-old child. A review of the minor victim’s phone revealed messages relating to drugs and sexual acts between Jauregui and the minor. Officers also located videos and photographs of nudity involving both parties. Jauregui filmed himself engaging in sex acts with the minor on his phone and then sent the videos to the minor. A forensic review showed that the material was sent from the phone number Jauregui had registered with the sex offender registry. Jauregui also forcibly injected the minor with methamphetamine. The minor discussed their active addiction to methamphetamine while exchanging images and videos with Jauregui. The videos contained material that depicted sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood 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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC . Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Jauregui remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Jauregui faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-4051. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.