Deputy tried to meet with ‘teen’ for sex acts and sent explicit material, CA cops say

A deputy is accused of trying to meet with an investigator posing as a teenager for sex acts and sending them explicit material, California deputies say.

Anthony Russo, 52, was arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 11, on charges of “sending harmful matter to a minor and attempting to meet a minor for sexual acts,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies said they got a tip about Russo, who worked at the sheriff’s office Coordinated Custody Management Unit within the Corrections Division, on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

“During the investigation, an undercover investigator communicated electronically with Russo while posing as a 15-year-old minor,” deputies said.

In the conversations, “Russo shared explicit material” and expressed intent to meet with the “minor” for sex acts, deputies said.

Russo resigned after he was arrested, according to deputies.

An investigation is ongoing.

Russo is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 24, jail records show.

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.