EXCLUSIVE: Utah House Speaker demands state judge resign for giving no prison time to man convicted of child exploitation

Aidan Hoffman, 22, attended a sentencing hearing overseen by Judge Don Torgerson on Tuesday in Utah, where he pleaded guilty on two felony counts of sexually exploiting a minor, according to KSLTV. Court documents in the case said that Hoffman had distributed as well as had in his possession images of children getting raped and sexually abused.

Hoffman was charged last August on multiple felony counts of exploiting a minor and spent four months in prison, being allowed out in December on certain conditions. However, during the sentencing this week, Torgerson dropped 10 of the other felony charges, only going through with two of them. Instead of giving Hoffman time behind bars, Torgerson decided that he would not go to prison or pay any fine.

Torgerson handed the 22-year-old a suspended prison sentence and said he would be placed on probation for four years, meaning that he would only go to prison if he violated the probation. During the hearing, Torgerson referred to the time that Hoffman spent in jail, saying, "112 days is a lot of jail time. It’s a lot of jail time for someone your age who comes from some level of privilege."

When speaking to The Post Millennial, House Speaker Mike Schultz, a Republican from Utah's 12th House district, said he would not rule out impeachment over the matter, and demanded that the judge resign.

"This is deeply troubling and indicative of a broader pattern within the judiciary. Such decisions not only fail to deliver justice for victims but also erode public confidence in the legal system," he told TPM. "Judge Torgerson’s decision is a failure of justice, and it cannot be ignored. To restore public trust and uphold the integrity of the judiciary, he must resign. Accountability is not optional—it is essential when the stakes involve the safety and dignity of children."

Torgerson viewed a couple of the videos that were in possession of Hoffman and told those in the hearing he had "seen worse."

The Grand County Attorney, Stephen Stocks, said that he was shocked by the decision of the judge, as well as Torgerson's mention of "privilege" in the decision and the comments about the videos.

"Something like this shocked my conscience so much,” Stocks told reporters at KSL. "I feel failing to act — or failing to speak out on this —wouldn’t be doing a justice or service to … those kids out there."

Stocks has served as the Grant County Attorney since 2023 and told KSL that the children in the images that were distributed by Hoffman were “victims of horrendous sexual acts.” He added, “We should look at defendants and the actions that they’ve done and not make it lesser because of their affluent status or their privilege."