BOISE, ID — Two Idaho men have been sentenced to federal prison in separate cases involving the possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
In the first case, Aaron Jacob Balcom, 28, of Caldwell, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison. Court records show the investigation began after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received CyberTip reports from an online messaging platform. CyberTips are submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which forwards information related to suspected online crimes against children to law enforcement.
Investigators determined that online accounts linked to Balcom were used to upload and distribute child sexual abuse material. Search warrants for those accounts led to the discovery of hundreds of files, as well as chat conversations in which Balcom discussed a sexual interest in children. A subsequent search of his Caldwell residence resulted in the seizure of a cellphone, where additional files were located.
U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Balcom to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay $6,000 in restitution to the victims depicted in the images. Balcom will be required to register as a sex offender.
In a separate and unrelated case, Paul Vargas Jr., 34, of Payette, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. According to court records, that investigation also began with a CyberTip received by HSI involving Vargas’ online account. A search warrant led to the seizure of his cellphone, which investigators said had previously been used to store child sexual abuse material.
Judge Nye ordered Vargas to serve 15 years of supervised release after completing his prison term and to pay $6,000 in restitution to the victims. Vargas will also be required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis said the continued distribution of child sexual abuse material can cause lifelong harm to victims and emphasized the commitment of law enforcement to holding offenders accountable. HSI officials said the cases demonstrate how CyberTip reports can lead to investigations that remove offenders from communities and protect children.
Both cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Boise with assistance from the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Payette Police Department and Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office also assisted in the Vargas investigation. The cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating online child sexual exploitation.
