Modesto Man Sentenced to Prison for 45 Years for Sexual Exploitation of Minors

FRESNO, Calif. – Daniel Vincent Salazar, Jr., 29, of Modesto was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for his convictions on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.  After serving his prison sentence, Salazar will be subject to a 25-year term of supervised release during which his access to minors, electronic devices, and the internet will be restricted.  He will also be required to register as sex offender.

According to court documents, Salazar used Instagram and Snapchat accounts on dates between December 2018 and January 2020 to contact minor females and coerce them into creating and sending to him images of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The females Salazar targeted were typically 12 to 14 years old. If victims refused to cooperate with Salazar’s demands, he threatened to send explicit images that he had already received to classmates and family members of victims. When one victim expressed suicidal thoughts in their chats, Salazar made comments such as “[t]hat’s on you. Not my fault,” and “[t]he cops can’t do nothing trust me.” Salazar has been in custody since his arrest on January 20, 2020. 

The investigation was conducted by Patterson Police Services, the Los Banos and San Jose Police Departments, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – Division of Adult Parole Operations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.