A Utah CEO who pleaded guilty to having more
than 13,000 files of child pornography, including some that depicted rape
and bestiality, was sentenced by a judge to less than one year in prison.
Douglas Eugene Saltsman, 40, considered to be a "computer genius" after
founding a now-defunct blockchain and cryptocurrency in Sandy, first came to
the attention of authorities after they were alerted to an internet provider
address sharing child pornography using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program.
Detectives obtained a search warrant and, with the help of the Internet
Crimes Against Children Task Force, raided his home on May 7, 2019. They
seized his electronic devices, which were found to contain thousands of
files of child pornography, according to KUTV.
One of the files consisted of a compilation video of prepubescent girls
under the age of 8, some of them just toddlers, being raped. Other files
obtained from a laptop, a black computer, an SSD storage device, and an SD
card, contained child sex abuse imagery involving toddlers. They showed the
children bound and raped.
After submitting the files to the law enforcement portal of the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children, police learned that 279 of them
depicted known identified child victims.
Police also found "disturbing videos of Douglas Saltsman engaged (in) sexual
intercourse with several unconscious women," and a "clandestine drug lab of
some sort" in a downstairs bedroom closet. They had to call the Sandy Fire
Department and hazmat team to ensure the lab was not a public safety hazard.
Saltsman was initially facing 11 charges in connection to the files but
struck a deal with prosecutors last month where most of them were dropped in
exchange for him pleading guilty to three second-degree felony charges of
sexual exploitation of a minor.
During his sentencing this past week, the 40-year-old, who was facing 15
years in prison and a $10,000 fine, apologized for his behavior.
"I just want to say that every day I wake up to shame, guilt, regret, and
disgust," he told the court. "When I did the psychosexual evaluation all I
could talk about was confusion and compulsive behaviors, talk about
downloading, viewing, and masturbating to child pornography."
"I didn't understand why I would think these things. I started seeing a
psychiatrist right after that," he continued. "I was prescribed medication
and I began therapy. That's when I started to understand some of the deeper
mental issues. I learned that my self-destructive behavior matches my
self-hatred."
"I want to repair the damage I have done, that I see that I have done. I
want to be able to look at myself in the mirror. I'm sorry. I'll make sure
this never happens again, you'll never see me."
Prosecutor Cynthia Poulsen pointed out to Judge Douglas Hogan that Saltsman
had only talked about himself and not the victims, but the judge suspended
the recommendations for a lengthy prison term. Instead, he sentenced
Saltsman to 210 days in prison with credit for the 148 days he had already
spent behind bars and ordered that he serve 48 months of probation with
Adult Probation & Parole (AP&P) after his release.
"He'll be subject to group A sex offender conditions," he added. "He'll need
to undergo and complete successfully sex offender treatment and therapy. He
will also need to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation and comply with any
recommended treatment."
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This article first appeared on Meaww.
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