RCAHT sting nabs Palm Desert man who arranged sex with agent posing as teen
PALM DESERT, Calif. — A man who officials say was out of jail on bail or early release when he arranged to meet with a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl was arrested when he showed up at the prearranged meeting place only to discover he had actually been corresponding with Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) agents conducting an undercover operation Tuesday, April 20.
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As part of their ongoing goal of reducing the demand for sex trafficking of minors and other victims, RCHAT members conducted an undercover operation during which they posed online and on social media platforms as a 13-year-old female, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Jose Tijerina later said of the incident and arrest.
During the operation, Marino Aaron Lopez, 30, of Palm Desert, initiated an online conversation with the person he believed was a teenage girl.
His goal was “a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old minor,” said Tijerina; who explained, “Through the conversation, Lopez arranged to meet the online decoy with the intent to engage in lewd sex acts with the minor.”
Marino Lopez, of Palm Desert, was arrested after arranging to meet with a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sex. The “teen” turned out to be an RCAHT agent working in an undercover capacity. RSO booking photo
When Lopez arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place in the 72-900 block of Highway 111, RCAHT agents, with assistance from the Palm Desert Special Enforcement Team (SET), arrested him without incident.
Lopez was later booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of attempting to meet with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old minor to engage in lewd sex acts, committing a felony while on court release, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of a dirk or dagger, according to Tijerina.
Online jail records indicate Lopez remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail or bond and he is scheduled to be arraigned at the Indio Larson Justice Center April 23.
Anyone with additional information about this investigation or who was possibly victimized by Lopez is encouraged to contact RCAHT Task Force Lead Investigator Julio Oseguera at (760) 836-1600 or call anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867). Callers can refer to incident file number R211050004 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
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