Pueblo County, Colorado — A 21-year-old man was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to child exploitation.
According to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, Phoenix Monciviaz-Likes received the sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. Court records show the plea agreement also included a four-year sentence for attempted sexual assault on a child, which will run concurrently with the eight-year term.
Investigators say the case began after detectives with the sheriff’s office and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a cyber tip linking alleged child sexual abuse material to Monciviaz-Likes.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives launched a year-long investigation and later executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home. Authorities said the search uncovered child sexual abuse material and online conversations allegedly connected to assaults involving minors.
Monciviaz-Likes was arrested in January 2025 on multiple charges, including three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of sexual assault on a child, and one count of animal cruelty.
Investigators said the suspect allegedly admitted to some of the conduct during questioning. As part of the plea agreement reached in the case, the animal cruelty charge was later dropped.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said protecting children remains a top priority for investigators and credited the work of detectives assigned to the ICAC unit for helping bring the case forward.
Cases involving online exploitation are often initiated through cyber tips from national monitoring systems that flag suspected illegal activity for law enforcement review.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by local and federal investigators to track online exploitation networks and respond to reports involving minors.
For many young residents and students who rely heavily on digital platforms, officials say online safety awareness remains an important prevention tool.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input.
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