LOS ANGELES — Four men are facing federal charges of child sexual exploitation, officials announced Tuesday.
In cases filed in Los Angeles in recent weeks, the defendants were accused of exploiting children in person and on the Internet.
“Protecting our children from sexual exploitation is some of the most important work my office does,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement.
“For years, we have vigorously prosecuted child sexual predators, and we have only increased those efforts in recent times. To those who would seek to victimize our youth, let me be clear: We will use every tool in our arsenal to bring you to justice and thereby stop you from causing further irreparable harm to others.”
The defendants facing charges in Los Angeles federal court are:
— Ivan Lozano, 36, of Long Beach, who was charged with enticing a minor victim to commit sexual acts and possession of child pornography. Over the course of nearly two years, starting when the victim was 14, Lozano allegedly encouraged and enticed a girl living in Tanzania to repeatedly send him videos and photos of a sexual nature using the WhatsApp social media application. In October 2021, according to the complaint affidavit, Lozano traveled to Tanzania for the purpose of having sex with the girl, which he recorded on video. Lozano is currently a fugitive being sought by the FBI.
— Dustan David Sheehan, 45, of Hollywood, who surrendered Friday after being named in a criminal complaint that accuses him of distributing child pornography and possession of and access with intent to view child pornography. In an August 2020 conversation with an undercover agent on the Kik internet messaging platform, Sheehan allegedly discussed his desire to meet and sexually abuse the undercover’s fictitious 9-year-old daughter. Sheehan was also accused of sharing sexually explicit images with the undercover agent. During a subsequent search of Sheehan’s residence, FBI investigators identified about…
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