⏱ 2 min read
Erik Santana-Garcia, a 34-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole for sexually exploiting two minor victims and illegally reentering the United States. The crimes occurred in November 2024, when Santana-Garcia transported a minor, identified as Minor Victim 1, across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. He was stopped by officers with the Oak Grove, Missouri Police Department on November 12, 2024.
According to court documents, Santana-Garcia had planned to take Minor Victim 1 to New York, but was intercepted in Missouri. A subsequent investigation by Homeland Security Investigations found child pornography depicting Minor Victim 2 on a phone seized from Santana-Garcia at his arrest. Santana-Garcia had been previously deported and removed from the United States on multiple occasions, most recently on March 6, 2019.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Dunning and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Oak Grove, Missouri Police Department.
Santana-Garcia pleaded guilty on March 3, 2026, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. The sentence reflects the severity of the crimes committed and the need to protect minor victims from exploitation.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Sex Crimes
- Defendant: Missouri
- Location: MO
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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