West Texas man sentenced to 35 years for sexually exploiting girls as young as 12 on Snapchat, prosecutors say

A West Texas man was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for using Snapchat to exploit and threaten girls as young as 12 while offering victims up to $1,000 for one-hour sessions involving sexually explicit images, prosecutors said.

Raymond Daniel Solis, 28, of Midland, had previously pleaded guilty to seven counts of producing sexually explicit images of minors and one count of distributing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

"This child predator used the convenience of a cell phone to abuse these young girls," U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said in a news release. "Predators like this defendant are lurking in every corner of our society, including, and maybe especially, on the internet."

Federal investigators said Solis used Snapchat to contact and exploit multiple girls, offering them hundreds of dollars for sexually explicit images.

In one case, prosecutors said Solis proposed an $800-per-week "sugar baby" arrangement in exchange for a one-hour session.

"The minor victim sent numerous media files to Solis while he directed her through various camera angles and poses," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors said Solis sometimes offered victims up to $1,000 for a session and threatened to contact their families if they refused to provide additional images.

The FBI traced his Snapchat account to a Google email address and an IP address in Midland.

Investigators said Solis admitted during an April 2025 interview that he had been producing child sexual abuse material involving minors since 2018.

A search of his iPhone uncovered child sexual abuse material depicting seven girls ages 12 to 17, along with saved social media profiles of six victims and screen recordings of his conversations with three of them.

"Let this be a message to all those who think they can exploit and manipulate young girls utilizing their social media accounts to send explicit images, the FBI will find you and ensure you spend the rest of your days behind bars," FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky said.

Simmons said parents "must pay attention to what their kids are doing on their phones, should closely monitor who they are talking to, and should strictly limit access to those messaging apps that are often the favored tool of sexual predators."

"If your child ever becomes a victim of child exploitation, immediately report it to the FBI," Simmons said. "Doing so is key to making sure perpetrators spend decades locked away from those they would otherwise hurt."

Solis was originally indicted on nine federal counts, including seven production counts, one distribution count, and one possession count.

U.S. District Judge David Counts also ordered Solis to pay $14,205.96 in restitution to the victims.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.