A Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested on suspicion of sending harmful matter to a minor and attempting to meet a minor for sexual acts on Wednesday, Dec. 11 after the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau received a tip.
The Bureau launched an investigation, during which the suspect, identified as Anthony Russo, 52, “shared explicit material and communicated his intent to meet with the supposed minor to engage in sexual acts,” according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO). The supposed minor on the other side of the electronic communication was actually an undercover investigator posing as a 15-year-old.
Russo worked for the RCSO’s corrections division in the coordinated custody management unit. He resigned after his arrest, which was made the day after the tip regarding possible crimes committed by him was received. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside.
No further details were immediately available.