WORCESTER – Pasquale Salas, 26, of Texas, was sentenced in federal court in Worcester on Tuesday, September 15, to over 18 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor and cyberstalking.
Salas is a former deputy sheriff with the Matagorda County Sheriff’s office in Texas. Matagorda County is located on the southeast border of Texas.
Salas pleaded guilty in May 2020.
According to U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office, Salas met the victim, then 12 years old, through an online video game website in 2014. Salas repeatedly solicited the minor to transmit sexually explicit images and videos of herself.
As early as 2016, Salas intimidated the victim into maintaining contact with him and sending additional sexually explicit material. He threatened to send the explicit images and videos to her family and friends.
The victim attempted to end contact with Salas in May 2019. He repeatedly sent threatening communications to the victim using web-based applications to disguise the source of the communications.
Upon Salas’ arrest, his smartphone contained sexually explicit material he had coerced the victim to perform.
Salas also admitted contacting a second Massachusetts minor through the same website. From the time the victim was 12 until she as 16, he coerced her using the same means, for the same purpose.
Sales sent the second victim pictures of himself inside a police car with a gun and told the victim he had law enforcement friends in Massachusetts that would follow her.
Salas was in contact with that victim until his arrest.
