A Lolo resident was sentenced to 20 years in prison for charges related to the distribution and receipt of child pornography, as announced by U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. Erik Robert Salazar, 29, admitted guilt to the charges last November. Following his prison term, Salazar will be subject to lifetime supervision.
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen handled the case. According to court documents, in September 2023, the Missoula County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) detectives received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The report, filed by Snapchat, identified Salazar as the person who uploaded illicit child sexual abuse material to the platform on August 19, 2023.
A legal investigation confirmed the Snapchat account was managed by Salazar. Subsequently, detectives examined his communications, revealing interactions with minors from 2015 to late October 2023. Salazar repeatedly requested and received sexually explicit images and videos from minors, and himself shared illegal content with them. One interaction involved a 15-year-old, referred to as MV1, from whom Salazar solicited nude images. Salazar is reported to have admitted to holding this account during a police interview after his arrest related to these offenses on October 31, 2023.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, with investigative work carried out by the FBI and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse, led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
For further details on Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
