A Utah CEO will only spend 210 behind bars despite pleading guilty to possession of more than 13,000 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse including infant rape and bestiality. Douglas Eugene Saltsman, 40, came to the attention of police after his IP was pinged for sharing child pornography on a peer-to-peer file transfer program.
- Detectives worked with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to bring Saltsman down. While Saltsman was considered by many to be a “computer genius” after creating a now-defunct cryptocurrency and blockchain in Sandy, he wasn’t smart enough to evade authorities. His home was raided on May 7, 2019 and after authorities went through his electronic devices, they found thousands upon thousands of images and videos, KUTV reports.
- The depth of Saltsman’s depravity beggars belief. Among the files were a video compilation of girls under the age of 8, many toddlers, being raped. Many other files showed young children being bound and abused by unidentified adults. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 279 of the children shown were known identified child victims.
- Saltsman was up to even more troubling activities too. Police said they found “disturbing videos of Douglas Saltsman engaged (in) sexual intercourse with several unconscious women” during their investigation as well as a “clandestine drug lab of some sort” in a bedroom closet. The Sandy Fire Department was called in to ensure there was no danger to the public.
- So wait, how is this guy spending so little time in jail? The crimes he’s convicted of should be enough to put him away for life, but he struck a deal which took the 11 charges he was facing down to a simple guilty plea to three second-degree felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. Instead of spending 15 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine, he’ll go to prison for a couple of months, if that.
- Saltsman did at least apologize for his behavior even though it meant nothing. “I just want to say that every day I wake up to shame, guilt, regret, and disgust. 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,” he said when addressing the court. “I didn’t understand why I would think these things. I started seeing a psychiatrist right after that. 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.”
- Saltsman had already served 148 of his 210 days. That means in less than two months, he’s done, though he will be on probation for 48 months. “He’ll be subject to group A sex offender conditions,” Judge Douglas Hogan said. “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.” Wow, sounds totally fair… NOT.
