Two Men Arrested in Santa Barbara County Online Child-Exploitation Investigations
Operation Firewall credits undercover stings and public tips in the arrests with investigations still open and authorities seeking more information
Overview
- Detectives opened a probe into a Ventura man after an online contact with someone posing as a 13-year-old that began on April 8 and arrested Nathan Abruzzese on April 22 on felony charges for sending harmful matter to a minor and attempted lewd acts with a child.
- Investigators received an online tip about an attempted upload of a video with lewd images and arrested Martin Luis Rojas in Goleta on April 28 on felony counts related to obscene images of a minor.
- Both men were booked on felony charges, each posted $100,000 bail, and remain free while the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says the investigations are ongoing.
- Officials described common predator tactics in these probes, saying suspects used fake account names and avoided identifiable profile photos to target area-specific chat forums.
- Authorities urged residents to report tips to the sheriff's office, advised parents to monitor children's online activity, and said the multi-agency Operation Firewall task force will continue similar stings and tip-driven investigations.