- Uriel Quijano Vazquez, 23, was sentenced for sexual exploitation and assault cases.
- He received up to life for first-degree felonies and one to 15 years for his second-degree felony.
- District Attorney Sim Gill commends detectives and prosecutors for their work on these cases.
WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley man accused of providing alcohol or drugs to teenage girls he met on social media and then sexually abusing them has been ordered to serve at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
Uriel Quijano Vazquez, 23, was sentenced Wednesday in connection with three separate cases. He was convicted in August in one case of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. In a second case, he was convicted of rape, a first-degree felony. In a third case, he was convicted of forcible sodomy, also a first-degree felony.
On Wednesday, Vazquez was sentenced to a term of five years to life in prison for both the first-degree felony convictions and a term of one to 15 years in prison for his conviction on the second-degree felony. A judge then ordered the rape and sodomy sentences to run consecutively, and then concurrent to the exploitation conviction.
In total, Vazquez was ordered to serve at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
"We hope with this defendant sentenced, the survivors in these cases can begin the healing process," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "I want to thank the detectives that worked tirelessly to bring these cases forward, and I want to thank our prosecutors and support staff for obtaining a successful outcome."
In less than a year, Vazquez was arrested and charged in three separate cases.
In 2024, he was charged after a 17-year-old girl told police she would receive free "bottles" or "carts" from Vazquez, meaning bottles of alcohol or marijuana vape cartridges, after going to his apartment and engaging in sexual activity, according to police.
At the time of that arrest, police noted that "Uriel has been targeting underage girls across Salt Lake County. Uriel has been providing them with alcohol and weed in exchange for sex acts. Uriel has admitted to six victims."
That case was later dismissed but refiled in May and was one of the three cases for which Vazquez received a conviction.
In February, he was charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl and providing her with drugs.
The next month, he was arrested again after a 15-year-old girl told police she was also lured to Vazquez's residence under the guise of receiving alcohol and was then sexually assaulted.
A restitution hearing is now scheduled for Jan. 15.
