A joint operation named "Operation Intercept" was conducted by the Riverside County DA office - Child Exploitation Team and the Riverside County Anti Human Trafficking Task Force over the past month that resulted in the arrests of 25 individuals. Members of the Task Force posed online as minors (under the age of 14) and had communications with the 25 individuals who thought they were meeting in person with a minor for lewd sex acts. When the individuals showed up they were arrested. Three of the individuals were in possession of a firearm and one individual was on parole.
This Insider Alert talks about how the operation worked and specifically examines the case of James Renfroe. We talk about how to handle cases of online social media exploitation, behavioral indicators that a young person may be a victim and how to intervene and take it to law enforcement if you know of anyone that may be a victim of sextortion or online social media exploitation.
Click below to watch Opal's video and learn more about this Insider Alert.
News Sources:
Police: James Renfroe Of Riverside Sold Vape Pen To 13-Year-Old Girl For Nude Photo, Then Offered Marijuana For Sexual Favors – CBS Los Angeles 25 arrested in Riverside County operation targeting adults seeking sex with children – Press Enterprise
If you can't hear it live, listen to the Million Kids radio shows on Spotify as well: Spotify Million KIds PodCasts News Source: 41 California DAs oppose early release eligibility of 76,000 inmates | Fox News
Please Note:
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.