14 Fresno Area Residents Arrested in Child Pornography Crackdown
FRESNO – A sweeping national crackdown on child pornography led to the arrest of 245 people in the United States, 14 of whom were arrested in the Fresno area.
Three local children were also rescued during the five-week operation which started on Nov. 1, according to federal officials.
One of the 14 sexual predators arrested locally was 26-year-old Bradley Vaine, a convicted sex offender who lived inside a Central Fresno apartment complex with a 7-year-old disabled girl. Vaine had been sexually abusing the girl, who isn’t even able to speak due to her disability, authorities said.
“That ranks among the heart-wrenching cases that I’ve ever been a part of in my career,” said local agent Mike Prado with the Department of Homeland Security.
Also arrested during “Operation Sunflower” was 48-year-old Samuel Geydan of Clovis. A search of his home turned up more than 1 million sexually explicit photos and thousands of videos of children, officials said.
Authorities say the victims continue to be violated each time a new person views the pictures and photos, and once they reach the Internet they are irretrievable.
“Each time these images are viewed, the child is victimized again and again,” Prado said.
Other area suspects who were arrested were: Luis Espinoza, 22, of Riverdale; Michael Wright, 28, of Selma; Santos Reding, 48, of Goshen; Kennth Cavin, 57, of Clovis; and Fresno residents Robert McGrath, 76, Shane Paul Young, 42, Martin Lyle, 32, Roy Palomera, 23, Daniel Hoskins, 58, Marc Price, 49, Fernando Cardenas, 22, and Israel Mancias, 44.
Read More:
Fresno Bee: 14 Valley Men Arrested in International Child Porn Case
SFGate: 18 Arrested in California in Child Porn Investigation
CBS47: Over 200 Arrested in Child Porn Crackdown
