RIVERSIDE – A yearlong, multi-agency operation led by the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET) identified more than 500 suspected distributors of child sexual abuse material and led to 42 arrests. The effort, known as Operation Volcano, focused on high-risk offenders and dismantling online exploitation networks operating within the region.

The operation was conducted from March 2025 through March 2026 through a partnership between RCCET and Our Rescue, a nonprofit organization specializing in combating child exploitation. Resources and operational support provided by Our Rescue were critical in sustaining the scope and continuity of the yearlong investigation.

Through coordinated investigative efforts, authorities identified more than 500 unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses associated with the distribution of child sexual abuse material on peer-to-peer networks. 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.

Extensive investigative work led to the service of 46 residential search warrants, resulting in 42 arrests. Fourteen of those arrested were identified as high-risk offenders, including an individual with a $2 million arrest warrant for child sexual assault, a child psychologist, a naturopathic doctor, a retired law enforcement employee, 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, two corporate vice presidents, and three registered sex offenders.

Operation Volcano was further supported through a multi-agency partnership with Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego ICAC Task Force, the Los Angeles ICAC Task Force, and the California Highway Patrol.

RCCET is an affiliate of the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and is led by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation. The team works in collaboration with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the police departments of Beaumont, Blythe, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Menifee, Murrieta, and Riverside, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the FBI Inland Regional Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

All investigations are ongoing. Operation arrestees are listed below:

Feliciano Chavarria        62           Lake Elsinore    

Enrique Castaneda         51           Riverside            

Eric Thai                             43           Menifee                

James Munson                  32           San Jacinto         

William Zahn                    48           Riverside            

John Carrico                      52           Murrieta              

Jason Lee                            51           Banning               

Brian Erwin                       46           Beaumont           

Daniel Malcolm                46           Bermuda Dunes                

Randolph Velasco           44           Lake Elsinore    

Marcus Guevara              21           Winchester        

Christopher Gibbons     39           Moreno Valley  

Allen Cox                             81           Menifee                

David Poggi                        59           Menifee                

Zixiang Cheng                   32           Murrieta              

Ray Kubal                           75           Menifee                

Ethan Conely                     29           Menifee                

Jessie Bonales                   40           Temecula

Nicholas Williams           39           Norco    

Daniel Cunningham        43           Corona 

Adam Robinson               38           Riverside            

Kenneth Camron             68           Menifee                

Neftali Jimenez                 21           Riverside            

Robert Schaar                   53           Temecula            

Victor Sepulveda             60           Moreno Valley  

Stuart Triplett                  61           Temecula            

Jame Davis                         60           Lake Elsinore    

Xinyi Su                               22           Mira Loma          

Mark Tyler                         66           Perris   

Rickson Jao                        62           Eastvale               

Stacey Parker                    62           Moreno Valley  

Chas Rico                            30           Murrieta              

Jonathan Jordan               27           Moreno Valley  

Jeremiah Davis                 21           Hemet  

Dustin Jenks                      56           Palm Springs     

Richard Mckeehan Jr     48           Moreno Valley  

Anthony Ramirez            39           Nuevo   

Daniel Chico                      21           Riverside