Robert Salinas

Robert arrived at the sting house with what he promised the decoy. The decoy then told him to sit and walked out of the room. After talking with the decoy, Chris Hansen confronted Robert and told him to have a seat. He asked Robert what sandwiches he had brought, to which he replied, "chicken". Robert responded that he had worked at a copy shop for twenty years when Chris asked him where he was employed. Robert claimed he chose to meet the decoy while he was out doing a service call. He acknowledged having conversations with minors and claimed to have children who were eleven, twelve, and sixteen years old.

He then told Chris he was sorry and would get a big wake-up call and not do this anymore. He then told Chris he deserved another chance, thinking Chris was a cop, and said to him, "You guys can monitor me." Chris told him he was with Dateline NBC, and the cameras came out. After being exposed to Dateline, Robert quickly walked out of the sting house with police telling him to get down with his hands and was arrested by police. He was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under fourteen.

Robert was convicted on one count of Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Acts with a Child Under 14 Years of Age. He received what Perverted Justice dubbed "The Long Beach Special," which sentenced him to a lifetime registry as a sex offender, probation for three years until 2010, and cleaning up California highways as part of community service. According to unverified sources, his marriage managed to survive the ordeal.

In 2024, Chris tried to reach out to Robert with a number but did not hear back from him. Still, Chris confirmed that Robert has no record or indication of any illegal activity post-sting. Chris said he was never able to prove Robert did have sex with another underage girl before the sting, but that he felt like Robert had been doing the illegal things he was caught doing for a long time.