Man from Modesto pleads guilty to sexual abuse of children. He faces up to 30 years in prison

A Modesto man who used social media accounts to coerce and threaten young girls pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of sexual exploitation of minors, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Daniel Vincent Salazar Jr., 28, used Snapchat and Instagram to coerce several girls into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos, then threatened to send those images to classmates, family and friends if they didn't send more.

The case against Salazar Jr. began when the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office received a complaint from the parents of a 14-year-old girl and the principal of her school in December 2018. The girl told her teacher that she had received offensive messages from an Instagram account, prompting an investigation that led to the discovery of additional victims, court documents show.

Court documents show that at least two of the four victims listed in the criminal complaint are Stanislaus County residents, one of whom is from San Jose. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Jose Police Department assisted the Sheriff's Office in identifying Salazar Jr. as a suspect.

Search warrants for Salazar Jr.'s Instagram and Snapchat accounts led authorities to locate the device and IP addresses he used, which were registered to either him or a family member. Authorities also identified him by his tattoos, which were visible in several of the sexually explicit images he sent.

Salazar faces a minimum sentence of 15 years but could spend a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. He also faces fines of up to $250,000 and restitution to victims. He also faces the possibility of life probation. His sentence will be determined by a judge on January 13, 2025.

The case was prosecuted by the Sheriff's Office, the FBI, the SJPD and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting.

The investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Ministry of Justice in May 2006.