Former Texas deputy sentenced to 32 years for luring young girls on Minecraft, exploiting them

The federal investigation into Salas began in 2019 when a girl from Massachusetts told authorities that she met him in 2014 through Minecraft’s multiplayer mode when she was 12, according to the US Attorney’s Office. — Image by amrothman from Pixabay

Before getting a 32-year prison sentence, a former Texas deputy admitted to using Minecraft to lure young girls and exploit them sexually for years.

Pasquale Salas, 29, appeared in front of US District Judge Jeffrey Brown on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty June 6 to producing and possessing child pornography. For years, Salas used his Matagorda County deputy badge to threaten young girls into “sending hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos”, David Martinez, FBI Houston special agent in charge, said in a Justice Department news release.