Trevor Lyons told the dad he would like to speak with his 12-year-old daughter, saying, “I’d love to see how much of a freak she is,” according to court documents. Lyons is accused of then adding the daughter as a friend on Discord and asking her if she would perform sex acts on him. The agent, meanwhile, was secretly controlling both accounts.

Lyons, 41, was arrested Monday and is accused of producing and distributing child pornography from around May 2020 to December 2024.

A federal grand jury charged him in a nine-count felony indictment with sexual exploitation, attempted sexual exploitation of a child to produce sexually explicit visuals, attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and distribution of child pornography.

If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars.

The undercover agent began exchanging messages with Lyons in a group chat on the Kik messaging app in August 2024, when the agent posed as a 43-year-old man with the username “UC Dad,” according to the indictment.

Lyons allegedly told UC Dad that he had a 17-year-old daughter of his own and asked UC Dad how old his daughter was. When UC Dad said 12, Lyons responded, “Oooof. A tad young but do you have pics? I have pics from when mine was 15,” according to the indictment.

Lyons continued to have conversations of a sexual nature with UC Dad on Telegram that month, according to the indictment.

On Sept. 9, 2024, Lyons allegedly added the girl as a friend on Discord and then asked her age, to which the undercover agent responded, “12.”

He told her he was 40 and asked if she liked older guys and whether she had seen a penis before, the indictment said. The conversation continued to escalate.

He asked if she had performed oral sex and offered to teach her, the indictment said. He also sent an explicit photo and video before asking her to perform oral sex on him, according to the indictment.

On Dec. 17, 2024, law enforcement officers seized a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, an iPhone 16 and an iPad 3 from Lyons.

The indictment, which was filed in August, details a long record of child pornography allegedly distributed by Lyons as well as a May 2020 incident in which he is accusing of coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit acts for photos that would be distributed as pornography. According to the indictment, he used a variety of usernames online, including Carly, Herbdoc and DeFi Samurai.

Lyons was arrested by the FBI’s Ventura Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration between the FBI and regional law enforcement agencies to rescue minor victims and investigate and arrest those involved in child exploitation and human trafficking. The task force recently arrested six additional people in Ventura County during a two-week operation in August targeting the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material.

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But Victor Bustamante wasn’t really talking to an underage girl — It was sheriff’s deputies posing as a 13-year-old during an undercover operation.

After several days of communication, the sheriff’s department said undercover deputies had arranged to meet with Bustamante. Upon arrival, he was arrested and booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center.

He is being accused of arranging to meet a minor with the intent of sexual acts, contacting a minor with intent to commit sexual acts, exhibiting and sending harmful material to a minor and attempting lewd acts with a minor, the department said.

Bustamante is being held on a $55,000 bail, according to officials.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Deputy Hartert at the Perris Sheriff’s Station 951-210–1000. Anyone who wishes to report crimes or suspected illegal activities within the city can contact Sgt. Varela at the Perris Station at 951-210–1000.

“The Perris Sheriff’s Station Special Enforcement Team is committed to creating safe, secure neighborhoods free of violent crime,” according to a statement from the team.

The post RivCo Man Arrested In Child Predator Undercover Sting appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

MURRIETA, CA — A convicted felon accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with an underage girl — who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer involved in an online predator sting — was charged Thursday with multiple misdemeanor and felony offenses.

Laith Fathi Sikta, 44, of Sacramento was arrested Saturday following a monthlong law enforcement operation that included Riverside County sheriff’s deputies from the Southwest Station in French Valley.

Sikta is charged with two counts each of distributing harmful material to a minor and identity theft, as well as one count each of contacting a minor with intent to perpetrate a sexual offense, arranging a meeting with a minor for illicit purposes, possession of child pornography, attempting to furnish marijuana to a child under 14 years old and possession of controlled substances.

Sikta, who is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center, was slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Narciso, the investigation into Sikta’s online activity began toward the end of July when the internet predator sting was initiated.

“Sikta communicated his intent to have sex and arranged to meet for sex someone whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but was actually an online undercover officer,” Narciso said.

He alleged that on Friday, the defendant drove from his Sacramento residence to Murrieta “with the plan to pick up the minor in the middle of the night.”

He was instead confronted by deputies, who took him into custody without incident on Winchester Road.

“Cannabis was located in Sikta’s vehicle,” the sheriff’s spokesman said.

According to court records, the defendant has a prior conviction for robbery.

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