A 40-year-old Peoria man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a judge handed down a 128-year prison sentence on 16 counts tied to child sexual abuse material and molestation, with a projected release date of August 7, 2154. Stiven Nissan Awshana was sentenced on September 18, and has already been transferred into the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.
How the Investigation Started
The case traces back to late July 2024, when the Peoria Police Department's Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit was alerted by the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that Awshana was reported to possess child sexual abuse material, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. That task force is an intergovernmental coalition of local, state and federal agencies administratively led by the Phoenix Police Department under state law. Peoria's own Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit is staffed by five dedicated members, working alongside regional and federal partners on West Valley cases, according to the Peoria Police Department.
On July 28, 2024, Peoria SWAT and detectives executed a search warrant at Awshana's home, seizing multiple electronic devices containing illicit images and video, the station's report notes. He was booked into the Maricopa County Intake and Release facility and initially charged with 27 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of child molestation, three counts of furnishing harmful items to minors and two counts of endangerment.
A Second Arrest Followed
Forensic analysts reviewing the devices seized from Awshana's home later uncovered additional child sexual abuse media linked to a second suspect, Marina Shmaeil Bethyo, who was arrested on August 16, 2024, according to the same account. Bethyo was initially charged with 22 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of child abuse. In 2025, she pleaded guilty to one reduced charge of child abuse under a plea deal that dismissed the remaining charges, and per the same account, she has since been released from prison.
Awshana was ultimately convicted on 16 total counts of child molestation, sexual exploitation of a minor and public sexual indecency. He is now serving his sentence at an Arizona Department of Corrections prison complex in Phoenix. Information for the case was provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry and the Peoria Police Department, per the outlet's reporting.
The Projected Release Date
Awshana's sentence totals 128 years across 16 counts.
His projected release date is August 7, 2154.
Part of a Larger Statewide Push
Cases like Awshana's are increasingly surfacing through digital tips that route from tech platforms to statewide task forces before landing with local departments like Peoria's. A month-long 2025 initiative called Operation Safe Online Summer, run by the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, resulted in 72 arrests, 243 search warrants, the examination of more than 60 terabytes of data across 1,000 devices, and the identification of 25 victims of ongoing exploitation, according to the City of Phoenix. Peoria, a West Valley city of roughly 203,000 residents covering 180 square miles, is served by 244 sworn officers and an annual police budget of about $88.5 million, per the department's own figures.
The volume feeding these local investigations is substantial. Nationwide, reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline contained 61.8 million reported files in 2025.
