29 January 2024
A 30-year-old Winona man has been accused of sexually manipulating more than 60 underage girls in an online sextortion scheme across the country and abroad, according to a report from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Valentin Silva Quintana (Courtesy of Sherburne County Jail via Forum News Service)
Valentin Silva Quintana made his initial appearance in St. Paul on Thursday, Jan. 25, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright, and was ordered to remain in custody pending further court proceedings.
Quintana was indicted on 13 counts of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Quintana is accused of using social media apps to threaten, sexually manipulate and exploit more than 60 young girls between the ages of 9 and 12 in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Zealand and elsewhere, between April 2022 and June 2023.
“Online predators are using social media apps to befriend, coerce, and ultimately extort children and teens,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, District of Minnesota. “Thousands of minor victims have been the target of this horrific exploitation. It’s imperative that we as a community engage with our kids about sextortion schemes so we can prevent them in the first place.”
Quintana is accused of using fake identities and lying about his age with the girls, posing as an underage girl himself, according to a news release from Luger’s office. He is also accused of using images and videos of young girls to make his conversations with them believable, the report said.
“Our Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with local law enforcement to root out those who commit these acts and help bring them to justice,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said in the news release.
Court documents allege Quintana would convince the girls he was their friend or romantic partner by offering them money. The indictment claims Quintana would convince them to “send him a sexual photo or video or covertly recorded them engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then threatened to send the first image to their friends and family unless the girls produced ever more graphic sexual images and videos for him.”
He continued this type of sextortion even as his victims wept and begged him to stop, court documents allege.
“HSI is dedicated to protecting our children against sexual predators who seek to take advantage of their innocence by working with our federal, state and local partners to bring people like Quintana to justice,” said Jamie Holt, special agent in charge for HSI St. Paul.
Anyone who may have information about this incident is encouraged to contact Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-347-2423.
Those experiencing sexual exploitation can call a 24-hour crisis line at 507-289-0636 to speak to someone who can direct them toward help.
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