U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has sentenced Daniel Valentin-Morales, a 35-year-old resident of Frederick, Maryland, to 13 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for coercion and enticement of a minor. Valentin-Morales is required to register as a sex offender upon his release, as mandated by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The sentence was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office and Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick Police Department.
Valentin-Morales used Snapchat to coerce a minor into sending videos depicting sexual acts, which he then distributed alongside other child sexual abuse material. At the time of these offenses, he was employed as a substitute teacher in Frederick County.
Investigations revealed over 200 files containing suspected child sexual abuse material on Valentin-Morales' Snapchat account. Additionally, chat messages were found expressing sexual interest in minors, including his students. He communicated with minors to solicit sexually explicit material that he shared with others.
During a search at his residence, law enforcement discovered multiple electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material files.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project aims to locate and prosecute offenders while rescuing victims through coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local levels.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI and Frederick Police Department for their investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin for prosecuting the case.
For further details about Project Safe Childhood or resources from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, visit www.justice.gov/psc or www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.