42 arrested in California child exploitation operation

By Jack Phillips
Contributing Writer

Officials in Southern California said that a major operation targeting child exploitation has identified 500 suspected offenders and resulted in dozens of arrests across Riverside County in recent months.  

A Monday news release from the Riverside County District Attorney’s office said “Operation Volcano,” which ran from March 2025 until March 2026, focused on targeting the distributors of child pornography and led to 42 arrests as a result. Primarily, the law enforcement officials focused on high-risk offenders and going after online networks that distributed the material in the region. 

“Through coordinated investigative efforts, authorities identified more than 500 unique internet protocol addresses associated with the distribution of child sexual abuse material on peer to-peer networks,” the office said, adding that 46 search warrants were executed at residences in the county. 

Fourteen individuals who were arrested, the office added, were identified as high-risk, including one individual who was served with a “$2 million arrest warrant for child sexual assault,” it said. Those arrested are between the ages of 21 and 81, it said. 

Others who were arrested include a child psychologist, a retired law enforcement official, a naturopathic doctor, a California prison worker, a local government planning official, a hospital chief technology officer, a U.S. Postal Service worker, a notary worker, two corporate vice presidents, and others. Three people who were registered as sex offenders were also arrested, the office said. 

“Each case was evaluated using a structured triage methodology to identify high-risk offenders, including individuals with prior sex offense histories, those under active criminal justice supervision, and individuals in positions of public trust or working in professions that serve children,” the office said in a statement. 

A list of the individuals who were taken into custody during the year-long operation was published on the district attorney’s website. It’s not clear whether any of the victims were located or provided any assistance.  

Liam Doyle, a supervising investigator with the district attorney’s office, told local media outlets that “the arrest is the easy part” and noted that “the digital forensic examination is time-consuming, expensive, and without the evidence, we don’t have a case.” 

According to the office, the operation included the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, local police forces, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Earlier this year, the FBI said that more than 6,200 missing children were located in 2025 across the United States, with around 2,700 identified as victims of child exploitation. The bureau also said that 1,700 child predators and 300 human traffickers were arrested in that time period. 

The Riverside County District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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