A Modesto man has entered a guilty plea to counts of sexual exploitation involving five minors, using popular social media platforms to perpetrate his crimes. Daniel Vincent Salazar Jr., 28, admitted to charges which stem from incidents occurring between December 2018 and January 2020. The U.S. Attorney's Office disclosed that Salazar leveraged Instagram and Snapchat in his efforts to contact and coerce minor females.
Backed into a corner when threatened, victims were made to produce and send sexually explicit images to Salazar. He bullied his way through, unrepentant, to maintain control - threatening to disseminate already acquired explicit images to their peers and family should they fail to submit to his demands. The consequences of Salazar's actions now transit to the hands of U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, who is slated to preside over sentencing on January 13, 2025.
The scale of punishment in this case ranges significantly - from a minimum mandatory 15 years to a potential 30 years in prison, along with a fine that could reach $250,000. Furthermore, post-incarceration, Salazar may face a lifetime under supervised release. Not only confined to these penalties, Salazar will also be compelled to pay restitution to his victims, the final sentence to be rendered considering statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This troubling case is a product of concerted efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Patterson Police Services, the Los Banos and San Jose Police Departments, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, along state and federal institutions. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa is leading the charge in prosecuting the case which springs from Project Safe Childhood - an initiative the Department of Justice took up in 2006, to actively combat to ever-growing scourge of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood brings together federal, state, and local agencies to track down and prosecute child exploiters and, crucially, rescue victims. For more details and resources on internet safety, visit Project Safe Childhood's official website.
