A Bloomington man is facing two felony charges after investigators say he uploaded child sexual abuse material to Instagram, including a video dated June 15, 2026. The post triggered a tip, a monthslong investigative trail, and ultimately a search warrant executed at his home. Gilberto Jose Daniel Sales Domingo was arrested on September 14 and now faces up to 18 years in prison if convicted.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed September 15 and reported by the Indiana Daily Student, Sales Domingo uploaded at least three files containing child sexual abuse material to Instagram, including a video uploaded June 15, 2026; the other files were photos. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Instagram on June 18 that included a T-Mobile-subscribed IP address located in the Indianapolis area, which encompasses Bloomington, per the same affidavit. NCMEC referred the tip to the Bloomington Police Department, which obtained warrants for the Instagram account along with associated IP addresses and email records.
Warrants Led Investigators to His Front Door
Those warrants revealed Sales Domingo's home address, according to the affidavit cited in the Indiana Daily Student's report. Bloomington police executed a search warrant for all electronic devices at his residence on September 14, the same day he was arrested. A detective located his cell phone inside the residence. Additional child sexual abuse material was reportedly found on the Instagram account tied to him. During a police interview, Sales Domingo confirmed his phone number, the affidavit states.
Sales Domingo was booked into the Monroe County Jail on September 14 and made his first court appearance on September 16. He is charged with one count of child exploitation, a Level 4 felony, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material, a Level 5 felony. Under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-5.5, a Level 4 felony conviction carries a fixed prison sentence between two and 12 years, with an advisory sentence of six years and a fine of up to $10,000. The Level 5 count carries a fixed term of one to six years.
How a Single Upload Becomes a Local Case
The case follows a pipeline that has become familiar in Monroe County: a platform like Instagram flags suspected material, NCMEC evaluates it, and local police obtain warrants to unmask the account holder. Federal law includes requirements for electronic service providers related to reporting suspected child sexual abuse material to NCMEC's CyberTipline, according to MissingKids.org. NCMEC's CyberTipline receives reports and assists law enforcement, with urgent reports subject to escalation.
The federal REPORT Act, enacted in 2024, addresses electronic service providers' obligations related to CyberTipline reports, as detailed by Warrant Builder.
A Pattern of Similar Cases in Monroe County
This is not an isolated incident in the area. In a case Hoodline reported in June, Monroe County prosecutors filed the same Level 4 and Level 5 charges against a 40-year-old Bloomington resident after cloud-storage CyberTips forwarded by NCMEC led detectives to search his electronic devices. An earlier case also involved the arrest of an Indiana University student.
The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force processed 29,635 CyberTips in 2025 — a 38 percent increase over 2024 — leading to 3,164 investigations, 499 arrests, and the rescue of 126 children from ongoing abuse, according to the State of Indiana. Nationally, most reports come from electronic service providers, and most reported files concern suspected abuse material.
Initial Court Appearance
Sales Domingo's initial court appearance was on September 16.
