By SDCN Staff
Riverside, CA–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 O.U.R. Rescue, a nonprofit organization specializing in combating child exploitation. Resources and operational support provided by O.U.R. 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 addresses associated with the distribution of child sexual abuse material on peerto-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 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.
