Federal authorities are asking the public to come forward with information if they or someone they know has been victimized by a Sacramento-based man charged with creating child pornography and distributing images and videos on social media.
A grand jury indicted 35-year-old Dakota Jeremiah Pevino, also-known as Dakota Jeremiah Viggiano, Nov. 13 with five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution and possession of sexually explicit material.
Charging documents allege the defendant shared videos of adult males sexually abusing minors on the encrypted social media platform Telegram this summer.
Further photographic and video evidence collected by authorities allegedly shows the defendant produced such material in his home and shared illegal content on multiple social media apps.
If convicted, he faces between 15 and 30 years in federal prison, including a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and restitution paid to victims—with amounts to be determined, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.
A product of the justice department’s Project Safe Childhood strategy, established in 2006 to address the growing problem of the sexual abuse of children online, authorities said collaborations between agencies are driving successful investigations.
“Working closely with each other, we will pool our intelligence and resources to ensure that those offenders who seek to entice and compromise our children are brought to justice,” investigators said on the agency’s website.
A multi-agency operation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in collaboration with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, uncovered details resulting in the arrest.
Federal and state authorities have announced several similar arrests over the past two months, with investigators focusing on protecting children at risk of harm online.
The issue of child sex abuse online is prevalent, with more than 7 million child exploitation reports leading to the arrests of more than 134,000 people, according to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force—established in 1998 and made up of 67 units across the country. The unit was credited with assisting in the investigation of Mr. Pevino.
At any given time, 50,000 child predators are online according to the U.S. Department of Justice—with authorities urging parents to be aware of their children’s online activities, warning that predators are persistently looking for victims.
Those preying on children build trust over time by building relationships online and then convincing unsuspecting victims to meet in person or to send illicit photos, according to law enforcement experts.
“Tell your children to be extremely wary when communicating with anyone online who they do not know in real life,” the FBI warns on its website. “Make it a rule with your kids that they can’t arrange to meet up with someone they met online without your knowledge and supervision.”
Anyone with information potentially related to the case in Sacramento is asked to email [email protected].
