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Sexting sting involving 14-year-old lands men in federal prison
Posted: 01.23.2013 at 12:36 PM
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One-by-one, men linked to a sexting scandal are being sent to federal prison.
Teofanes Salas-Campos of Mission will now serve 11-years in prison for trying to pay a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the 14-year-old would send sexually pictures to men to set-up sexual encounters in exchange for money.
The teen's mother found her phone, and turned it over to Pharr Police Department.
Little did the sexual predators know, they were texting Homeland Security Investigators to meet the 14-year-old at the Sun Deck Motel in Pharr located on the 500 block of Cage Road.
Text messages on the 14-year-old's phone exposed the men were arranging to pay the girl between $80 to $100 for the sexual encounter.
Three men were arrested in the sting.
Salas-Campos plead guilty to trying to have sex with a minor for cash.
He was sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by a 5-year-supervised probation following the completion of this sentenced.
He must also register as a sex offender.
Felipe de Jesus Ponce-Torres, 24, of Mexico, and Jose Luis Garcia-Saldivar, 28, also of Mexico, also entered guilty pleas.
Ponce-Torres was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Garcia-Saldivar will be sentenced May 9, 2013.
The investigation leading to the charges against these defendants was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and Pharr Police Department.