A Panorama City man accused of soliciting sex from local children in exchange for access to alcohol and vape pens is expected to plead guilty later this month under an agreement with prosecutors, according to federal court records.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has agreed not to object if Saul Henry Alfaro, 38, receives a federal prison sentence — of at least 14 years and no more than 17 and a half — when he faces Judge Andre Birotte Jr. on Feb. 27 in Downtown Los Angeles.
He could have faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted as he was originally charged.
Alfaro’s arrest was announced in March 2025 in a statement from the Burbank Police Department.
The activity allegedly began in October 2024, according to a federal complaint filed in April by the Department of Justice.
It alleged Alfaro used Instagram and SnapChat to obtain images from underage girls and entice them into sexual acts in exchange for the delivery of alcohol, marijuana and vape products, which he also sold to underage boys.
On Feb. 2, 2025, police received an anonymous report from a caller who said Alfaro had been exchanging sexual acts for alcohol and marijuana and posting the videos. Officers received a warrant for the account Feb. 5, and then received another report the following day from a “concerned citizen” regarding the Instagram account.
Burbank detectives tracked Alfaro through one of the videos, which showed no faces, but had the “infotainment center” of the Cadillac Escalade that Alfaro was in at the time and a call log of numbers that Alfaro had dialed, according to a federal complaint, according to the investigator’s statements in court documents.
Detectives reported calling the last number, and the person who answered identified himself as Alfaro’s employer and then gave federal officials Alfaro’s contact information, the complaint read.
When William S. Hart Union High School District officials found out at least two of the suspected victims were among their students, the district alerted parents and hosted a seminar with a Homeland Security Investigations special agent who warned parents about online behavior.
“There are people on the internet willing to deliver to your house, to a 12-year-old, if that’s what they want, for free,” said Victoria Scott, the HSI special agent who spoke with parents, “in exchange for certain things.”
Scott said she was a parent and spoke to some of the other parents and victims in the case, telling the crowd that some of the parents involved thought they were aware of their children’s online activities.
She said that’s a big reason why communicating about the danger can be a lot more effective than just trying to deny the child access.
“My youngest victim in my case, 12 years old, ‘I don’t have Instagram,’” Scott said, sharing a cautionary tale with parents.
“Her parents don’t think she has Instagram. She’s told us she doesn’t have Instagram. And then when we showed her her Instagram, ‘Well, I download it every day when I get to school and I delete it before I go home,’” Scott said to audible gasps from more than a few parents. “They’re smart at 12. You’re in trouble, guys. We’re all in trouble.”
The HSI investigation was conducted by the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force is a national network of 61 task forces representing more than 3,000 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Alfaro would also have to register as a sex offender and pay at least $50,000 in restitution upon his release from prison, according to the plea agreement.
