The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office has arrested 2 men in separate investigations involving online crimes against children, conducted as part of Operation Firewall, a multi-agency enforcement effort targeting child exploitation offenses.
In the first case, detectives began investigating Nathan Abruzzese, 27, of Ventura on April 8, after he allegedly contacted a detective posing as a 13-year-old girl through an online chat forum specific to the Santa Barbara area.
During the investigation, officials say Abruzzese sent lewd photos and videos and requested similar material in return.
Detectives arrested Abruzzese on April 22, at his residence on Ventura Avenue in Ventura. He was booked on felony charges including sending harmful matter to a minor and attempted lewd acts with a child. He has since been released on $100,000 bail.
Detectives learned Abruzzese used online account names unrelated to his real identity and did not use identifiable profile photos.
In the second case, detectives received an online tip regarding an individual attempting to upload a video containing lewd images of a child.
Detectives identified the suspect as Martin Luis Rojas, 61, of Goleta. Detectives arrested Rojas on April 28, at a residence on Orange Avenue in Goleta.
He was booked at the Main Jail on felony charges related to obscene images of a minor. He has since been released on $100,000 bail. Both investigations remain ongoing.
