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 (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
