A Salt Lake City man will spend two decades in federal prison after a trip across state lines involving a minor ended with his arrest in Oak Grove, Missouri. Investigators later found child sexual abuse material on his phone and identified a second victim, adding another grim layer to the case.
Erik Santana-Garcia, 34, was sentenced to 20 years without parole after pleading guilty in March, according to KCTV5. He also received a lifetime term of supervised release after admitting to charges involving interstate transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity, possession of child pornography and illegal reentry after deportation.
The case began on Nov. 10, 2024, when Santana-Garcia took a minor from Utah and headed toward New York, federal prosecutors said. Two days later, officers stopped him in Oak Grove, where the investigation expanded after authorities examined his phone.
A 2025 superseding indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri accused Santana-Garcia, also known as Erik Cayetano, of transporting a 15-year-old across state lines for illegal sexual activity, possessing child sexual abuse material and illegally reentering the country after a prior deportation.
Investigation Led By Federal And Local Agencies
Santana-Garcia had been deported multiple times, most recently in 2019, before returning to the United States, KCTV5 reported. The investigation was handled by Homeland Security Investigations and the Oak Grove Police Department. The Department of Homeland Security's Yearbook of Immigration Statistics tracks enforcement actions, including removals and returns.
The prosecution was brought through Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Justice Department initiative focused on investigating and prosecuting child sexual exploitation and abuse cases. The Justice Department said the case was investigated jointly by federal agents and Oak Grove officers.
Lifetime Supervision Follows Prison Term
Once Santana-Garcia completes the 20-year federal sentence, he will remain under supervised release for life, according to KCTV. The case combines serious federal child-exploitation charges with an immigration offense that carries additional consequences after a prior removal from the country. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, it published a 'Proposed Amendments/Public Comment 88 FR 7180' on Mar 14, 2023, considering changes to federal sentencing guidelines.
