LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A 20-year-old Los Angeles man stands accused in Ventura County today of illicit activity with two minors.
Over the summer, Bryan Cervantes used social media in an attempt to persuade a girl he thought was 17 and one who was 15 to send him “pictures with sexual content'' in exchange for payment, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. He also sought to have sex with the girls, according to investigators.
Detectives with the Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force and the Ventura County Sheriff's Special Crimes Unit started monitoring Cervantes in July and executed a search warrant Sept. 17 at his residence, authorities said.
He was arrested on suspicion of luring a minor for sexual purposes and booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura that morning before being released just before 7 p.m. the same night, jail records show.
“With more juveniles than ever being at home during the pandemic, they are more vulnerable to being contacted via social media platforms by adult predators and traffickers,'' said Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Jeremy Bramlette. “Parents should contact law enforcement if they locate evidence of explicit communication on their child's electronic device.''
Cervantes is scheduled to make his first appearance at Ventura County Superior Court at 800 S. Victoria Ave at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Photo: Ventura County Sheriff's Office