“With so many outside influences and forces that our children face, it is difficult for parents to monitor every single encounter. While parents work to protect their children from predators, law enforcement will also use their tools to identify and arrest those who prey on our kids. We thank the local, state and federal agents and officers who work to identify sexual predators and protect our children from harm.”
CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
FRESNO- On October 24, 2023, the California Attorney General, along with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of 14 men on various charges related to arranging to meet with a child for sex.
Those arrested range in age from 21 to 58 years old and were booked on charges as the result of an undercover effort called “Operation Boogeyman” conducted on October 18– 20, 2023. The majority of arrestees have since posted bond, been assigned a court date and released from custody.
The three-day sexual predator apprehension operation in Fresno County targeted adults seeking to sexually exploit children. Undercover agents and detectives posed as minors offering sex for pay on websites commonly used by victims of sex trafficking. These same websites are commonly accessed by predators to pay and meet victims for sex acts. Included in those arrested was an employee at a local school district.
“Today, we are sending a clear message that there is no place for these heinous crimes in California or anywhere,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “I want to thank all of our law enforcement partners for their collaboration in holding accountable those who broke the law and endangered our youth. My office remains committed to providing targeted and aggressive support to help bring human and sexual exploitation to an end.”
“While this operation had its successes of identifying and capturing several dangerous sexual predators, many more are still out there who will continue to try and target our children,” said Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni. “Law enforcement can’t be everywhere at every moment, so it is critical that parents and kids remain vigilant each day to prevent victimization.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, during the investigation, the suspects used sexually explicit language and sent graphic photos to the undercover agent/detetive pretending to be a child. All of the suspects were first to express their sexual desires and they initiated a time to meet with the detective posing as a child. Once they arrived to the locations, officers arrested them. No actual children were ever used or were placed in danger during the operation.
The three-day operation involved the collaboration of the:
- Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force
- Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
- Fresno Police Department
- Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC)
- Fresno County Probation Adult Compliance Team (ACT)
- Fresno County District Attorney’s Office
- U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California
- California Department of Justice
- California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
- Paso Robles Police Department
- Sanger Police Department
- Visalia Police Department
- Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office
- Madera County District Attorney’s Office
- San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office
The suspects were taken into custody and face charges by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, including violations of Penal Code Section 288.3-communicating with a minor for the purposes of sex and Penal Code Section 288.4-meeting with a minor for the purpose of sex.
