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Crime & Courts

Former Serviceman Sentenced for Child Sexual Exploitation Crimes

Daniel Lara-Salazar, 33, received a 15.5-year federal prison term for sexually exploiting a minor.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 25, 2026, 2:26 p.m. ET
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A former U.S. serviceman was on August 24, 2026, to 15.5 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release for sexually exploiting a child, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox imposed the sentence on Daniel Lara-Salazar, 33, who pleaded guilty to the charges. According to the plea agreement, Lara-Salazar, stationed in Puyallup, Washington, coerced and enticed a minor female victim in Maryland to engage in sexually explicit conduct from June 2024 through July 2024. He used Snapchat to demand sexually explicit images and videos, some of which were not retained due to the app's disappearing feature. Law enforcement also discovered he communicated with three other minor females in Texas and elsewhere, coercing them to send explicit images. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, along with Homeland Security Investigations, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, and the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office. It is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.

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  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 18:26current

    First published.

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