SPOKANE, WA — A Michigan man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
Daniel Augustine Solis, 33, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice, who also ordered lifetime supervised release and restitution of $615.
Solis’s criminal trial began on November 4, 2024. On the second day, he pleaded guilty after prosecutors presented evidence, including a text conversation between Solis and his co-defendant discussing the sexual abuse of a child.
According to court documents and testimony, the offenses occurred beginning in the fall of 2019, when Solis lived with his girlfriend in Eastern Washington. Prosecutors said Solis was abusive and manipulated his girlfriend by monitoring her through social media and phone applications. After moving to Michigan, Solis continued this behavior.
In February 2020, after learning his girlfriend disclosed his access to her family’s phone plan, Solis threatened to report her to police over previously created explicit videos involving a minor unless she produced more. Solis provided specific instructions for the content and length of these videos, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Later, Solis accessed his girlfriend’s phone account using her credentials and sent the explicit videos to her co-workers and friends after becoming upset with her, authorities said.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes Daniel Solis committed, including acts of manipulation and exploitation that caused significant harm,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker in a statement. “The Department of Justice will continue working to protect children and hold offenders accountable.”
The case was part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The investigation involved the FBI, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and Kalamazoo Township Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alison L. Gregoire and Rebecca R. Perez, with support from the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office.
