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Operation Volcano Nets 42 Arrests in Riverside County After Yearlong Child-Exploitation Probe

Investigators traced peer-to-peer file sharing to hundreds of IP addresses to zero in on high-risk suspects.

Overview

  • The district attorney’s office, which announced the results Monday, said investigators flagged more than 500 IP addresses, served 46 home search warrants, and made 42 arrests.
  • Fourteen people were labeled high risk, including a suspect wanted on a $2 million child-sexual-assault warrant and professionals such as a child psychologist, a hospital chief technology officer, a planning director, and a retired law enforcement employee.
  • The probe ran from March 2025 to March 2026 as a partnership between the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team and O.U.R. Rescue, with support from Homeland Security Investigations, California Highway Patrol, and Los Angeles and San Diego ICAC task forces.
  • Arrests spanned 19 cities with the most in Menifee (six), Riverside (five), and Moreno Valley (five), and suspects ranged in age from 21 to 81.
  • Prosecutors said cases are moving forward across agencies in a region where task forces focus on exploitation risks tied to large numbers of missing and runaway youth.