KANSAS CITY – A registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.
David Arabie, 59, Eldon, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 20 years in federal prison without parole, the statutory maximum sentence for this offense. The court also sentenced Arabie to 25 years of supervised release following incarceration.
Arabie is a registered sex offender with prior felony convictions for statutory sodomy involving a 6-year-old victim and criminal sexual conduct involving the sexual abuse of three children ages 7 to 12.
On Oct. 26, 2023, Arabie pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. The court found him in breach of his plea agreement at the hearing, however, after Arabie filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and recanted his previous statements made under oath during the change of plea hearing, claiming to be innocent of the charged conduct. On Dec. 20, 2024, the court denied Arabie’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.
Arabie admitted that, while visiting his in-laws, he used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network on his computer to share images of child sexual abuse material with an undercover law enforcement officer. Arabie shared a video of the sexual abuse of a child victim approximately 3 to 6 years old.
Arabie also admitted that he possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material on his computer.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.