Daniel Valentin-Morales, a 35-year-old from Frederick, Maryland, has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar also imposed a lifetime of supervised release and mandated that Valentin-Morales register as a sex offender upon his release.
The sentencing was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office and Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick Police Department.
According to the plea agreement, Valentin-Morales used Snapchat to persuade a minor victim to send videos of herself performing sexual acts, which he then distributed along with other child sexual abuse material. Investigations revealed that Valentin-Morales worked as a substitute teacher in Frederick County.
Search warrants executed on his Snapchat account in August 2020 and March 2021 uncovered over 200 files suspected to contain child sexual abuse material. Additionally, investigators found numerous chat messages where Valentin-Morales expressed sexual interest in minors, including his students. He also communicated with minors to entice them into performing sexual acts or sending explicit materials.
A search at his home led law enforcement to discover 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 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts between federal, state, and local resources.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and Frederick Police Department for their investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin for prosecuting the case.
Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc, while details on Internet safety education are available under the "Resources" tab on their website.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office and its community outreach programs, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md.
