A person wanted for child sexual assault, two corporate vice presidents and a child psychologist were among 42 people arrested in a sweeping child sexual exploitation bust in the Inland Empire, authorities announced Monday.
The effort, dubbed Operation Volcano, identified more than 500 suspected distributors of child sexual abuse images as part of an effort to dismantle regional networks exploiting minors, according to the Riverside County district attorney’s office.
Among the suspects, authorities focused on those deemed to pose the highest risk. They included people who had previously committed sexual offenses, those under criminal justice supervision, people working with children, and individuals in positions of public trust.
Those arrested also included a retired law enforcement employee, three registered sex offenders, a California prison information technology employee, a local government planning director, a Southern California hospital chief technology officer, a notary public, a United States Postal Service employee and a naturopathic doctor, prosecutors said.
The operation began in March 2025 as part of a partnership between the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team and nonprofit organization Our Rescue, which focuses on combating child exploitation.
The 42 people arrested come from 19 Riverside County cities, with the highest concentrations in Menifee, where six people were arrested; Riverside, where five people were arrested; and Moreno Valley, also with five arrests.
Those arrested range from 21 to 81 years old, with the majority of suspects being middle-aged men.
Authorities found the suspects by identifying IP addresses distributing child sexual abuse material on peer-to-peer networks. A peer-to-peer network is a system in which computers connect directly to share data without a central server, which can enable users to exchange illegal material in a decentralized way that’s harder to monitor.
The Inland Empire has been identified as a hot spot for child sexual abuse and trafficking, with dedicated task forces in San Bernardino and Riverside counties targeting the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Riverside County sheriff’s officials have said about 5,000 to 6,000 children run away or go missing each year in the county. Although a majority return home shortly after leaving, a portion fall victim to sex trafficking.
This year, an operation led by the Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service rescued dozens of missing minors who had been sexually assaulted or trafficked.
Operation Volcano, the effort announced Monday, was carried out with support from Homeland Security Investigations, the California Highway Patrol and the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces in Los Angeles and San Diego.
