U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has sentenced Daniel Valentin-Morales, 35, of Frederick, Maryland, to 13 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for one count of coercion and enticement. Judge Bredar also ordered that Valentin-Morales must register as a sex offender in places where he resides and is employed, upon his release from prison, pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
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Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Jason Lando, Frederick Police Department.
According to the plea agreement, Valentin-Morales used the social media application Snapchat to induce a minor victim to send several videos of her performing sex acts. Valentin-Morales then distributed the videos and additional child sexual abuse material videos to others. The investigation revealed that Valentin-Morales was a substitute teacher in Frederick County, Maryland.
In August 2020, and again in March 2021, investigators executed search warrants on Snapchat for records and the contents of Valentin-Morales’ account. Investigators learned that Valentin-Morales’ Snapchat account contained more than 200 files of suspected child sexual abuse material.
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Additionally, investigators uncovered hundreds of chat messages expressing a sexual interest in minors, including with his own students. Valentin-Morales further communicated with minors to entice them to perform sexual acts and/or send him sexually explicit material that he distributed to users.
During a subsequent search warrant executed at Valentin-Morales’ home, law enforcement located multiple electronic devices. During law enforcement’s review of a device, they found files containing child sexual abuse material, including images depicting a minor victim.
This case is 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 Attorney’s 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. Learn more about Internet safety education by clicking on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and Frederick Police Department for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin who prosecuted the case.
Article by Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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