Warden man gets 23 years after guilty plea

SPOKANE — A Warden man has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in late March to child sex trafficking and possession of child pornography, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Carlos Salgado Velasquez, 30, made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual conduct with four teenage girls — two of whom were 14 when he started — in exchange for gifts and payment. In addition, Salgado Velasquez took video of the encounters with his cell phone, according to court documents.

““This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph Harrington.

According to the plea deal, Salgado Velasquez said he met the girls on online adult dating sites, and met three of his victims at an unnamed motel in Moses Lake. Two of the victims also allege Salgado Velasquez was violent during their encounters, though Grant County has dropped all charges against the defendant as part of Salgado Velasquez’s plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to prosecutors, Salgado Velasquez swapped text and Facebook messages with Moses Lake resident Donald L. Ricker, who pleaded guilty in July 2019 to producing child pornography in June 2018. Ricker, who faces up to 30 years in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31.