FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A Rogers man arrested earlier this year after police say he confessed to possessing child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated explicit images of underage former schoolmates, is now facing a federal charge that could carry up to 20 years in prison.
A federal grand jury in Fort Smith returned a sealed indictment April 29 charging Carlos Soza-Fraire, 26, with one count of possession of child pornography, according to court records in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
The indictment alleges that on or about Feb. 25, 2026, the same day Rogers police executed search warrants on Soza-Fraire’s cellphone and residence, he knowingly possessed material containing images of child pornography, “including images of minors under the age of 12,” that had been transported in interstate commerce, including by computer.
That allegation carries significant weight. Federal law raises the maximum penalty for possession of child sexual abuse material from 10 years to 20 years in prison when the material involves a minor under 12.
The indictment remained sealed until May 20, when U.S. Marshals took custody of Soza-Fraire on a writ from the Benton County Detention Center, where he had remained jailed since his February arrest, according to the executed arrest warrant. He was arraigned in federal court in Fayetteville the same day and ordered detained pending trial.
The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking any computer equipment or cellular devices used in the commission of the offense.
The federal case stems from an investigation that began Feb. 20, when the Rogers Police Department received a citizen tip alleging Soza-Fraire had child sexual abuse material stored on his cellphone. According to a state probable cause affidavit, Soza-Fraire confessed during a Feb. 25 interview to obtaining the material through various applications and websites, including an artificial intelligence app he allegedly used to generate nude images and videos of 16- and 17-year-old female schoolmates from his time in high school.
Soza-Fraire was also charged in Benton County Circuit Court with distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a Class C felony under Arkansas law.
Court records show the federal trial timeline has been extended, with the court entering an order to continue June 17. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams is prosecuting.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
