A Hospers man is facing more than 20 charges after a Sioux County Sheriff’s Office investigation into alleged online communications with minor females.
Twenty-one-year-old Fabian Jacob Nuno of Hospers was arrested on Wednesday, May 6th, according to criminal complaints filed in Sioux County District Court.
Charges Filed
According to filed court documents, Nuno is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, listed in the complaint as a class B felony.
Court records also show 16 counts of purchase or possession of a depiction of a minor in a sex act, first offense, each listed as class D felonies.
In addition, court documents list two counts of grooming, also class D felonies, and two counts of dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor, listed as serious misdemeanors.
In addition to the charges listed in filed court documents, the Sioux County arrest log also lists one count of phone dissemination of obscene material to a minor, an aggravated misdemeanor.
Allegations in Court Documents
The criminal complaints allege investigators determined Nuno, described in court documents as a convicted sex offender, engaged in inappropriate sexual communications through Snapchat with multiple minor females.
Court documents allege Nuno sent sexually explicit material to a minor female and solicited exploitative material from her. The complaints also allege he received, possessed, and saved multiple photos and videos using the Snapchat application.
Complaints tied to a January 16th incident allege that at least nine photos or videos were involved. Additional complaints tied to a January 11th through January 15th date range allege that at least seven photos or videos were involved.
The grooming complaints allege Nuno used electronic communication to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child, or a person believed to be a child, to commit an unlawful sex act or otherwise engage in unlawful sexual conduct.
The dissemination complaints allege Nuno knowingly disseminated or exhibited obscene material to a minor.
Possible Penalties
Under Iowa law, sexual exploitation of a minor under Iowa Code 728.12(1) is a class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The statute also allows a court to impose a fine of up to $50,000 for each offense.
The possession charges filed under Iowa Code 728.12(3)(c) are listed in court documents as class D felonies for first offenses. Under Iowa law, a class D felony carries up to five years in prison.
The grooming charges filed under Iowa Code 709.8A(2) are also listed as class D felonies.
The dissemination and exhibition charges filed under Iowa Code 728.2(1) are listed as serious misdemeanors.
If convicted on all felony charges and given maximum consecutive sentences, Nuno could face more than 100 years in prison.
Nuno is being held in the Sioux County jail on a $115,000 cash only bond.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and Nuno is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
