On March 23rd, 2015, agents with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested 27-year-old Jose Ricardo Carrillo Montes.
The suspect is more commonly known as Ricardo Carrillo. He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on more than a dozen charges of sex abuse and possession of child pornography.
On September 14th, 2014, patrol deputies took a report from a teenage boy who said a man sexually exploited him through the internet. Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office assigned to the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force launched an investigation. Detectives learned that Ricardo Carrillo contacted the boy through apps called “Whisper” and “Kik.” While using the programs, Carrillo posed as a 19-year old woman. He used this method of operation as a means to exchange sexually explicit photos with the boy. Once the teen discovered Carrillo was a man, Carrillo threatened to publicly release the photos of the boy if he did not continue to meet his demands. The boy eventually cutoff communication with Carrillo and reported the incident to law enforcement.
On September 19th, 2014, detectives obtained a search warrant for Carrillo’s home located on the 2700 block of Northhill St. in Selma. They collected personal electronic devices, which contained evidence that supported the victim’s accusations. Detectives arrested Carrillo and he was booked into jail. As detectives looked further into the evidence seized from Carrillo’s house, they began to develop more information of other potential victims Carrillo targeted between May and September. In an effort to identify all potential victims and build the strongest case possible, more time was needed and Carrillo was ultimately released from jail.
Detectives continued to investigate Carrillo’s online activities and contacted four other teenage boys whom Carrillo victimized online. He oftentimes used the cover of posing as a woman through internet apps. In some cases, he would offer his victims money in exchange for pictures or sexual acts. In two of the more extreme cases, Carrillo blackmailed the boys into meeting him on an individual basis for sexual acts.
On March 23rd, 2015, detectives arrested Carrillo at a home on the 400 block of N. Gladys Ave. in Dinuba. The case has been filed with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Ricardo Carrillo now faces a long prison sentence due to the hard work of men and women at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, ICAC and the Homeland Security Investigations Office of Fresno.
The Sheriff’s Office encourages the public to take precautions against these types of crimes. Parents should monitor their children’s internet usage and be aware of the software apps they are using. Teach children to be wary of the person on the other end of the chat line; many times people are not who they say they are. Sex offenders often pretend to be someone else in order to lure children in and take advantage of them.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency for ICAC. It is comprised of 59 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies spread throughout nine counties in the Central Valley. It is dedicated to protecting children online and investigating crimes committed against children, which are facilitated by the Internet and computer usage. To learn more, please visit the ICAC website at www.centralcaliforniaicac.org
Anyone with information on this case or any other child pornography investigation is asked to please contact the Sgt. Jeff Kertson at (559) 600-8144 or call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867).
