Texas pediatric dentist sentenced to 30 years in prison

A pediatric dentist in Texas was sentenced on January 25 in U.S. court to 30 years in prison for reportedly using social media to coerce minors into recording sexual activity for him, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Abiel Alejandro Saldivar, 33, of San Antonio was sentenced to lifetime supervised release and ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution to victims and $55,100 in special assessments for his role in producing child pornography, according to a press release dated January 25 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Saldivar “aggressively and ruthlessly” exploited children, said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. The dentist purportedly messaged multiple minors on various social media platforms claiming he had nude images of them and threatened to post them if they did not engage in and record sexual activity for him, according to the release.

Saldivar, who had practiced at Aqua Dental in San Antonio, has been in jail since his arrest in January 2022. In May 2023, he pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.

“The significant sentence imposed on Abiel Saldivar sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those individuals who exploit children,” U.S. Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee said in the release.