06-03-2025
‘High-ranking' member of local gang charged with sexual abuse of minor
A man who authorities say is a high-ranking member of a criminal street gang has been charged with sexually abusing a minor.
Juan Nieto-Sanchez, 21, of Riverside was charged with felony counts of sex abuse against a minor, the Riverside Police Department announced. He was already in custody for an unrelated parole violation, police said.
He's said to be a high-ranking member of a criminal street gang that operates in the southern part of Riverside, a police spokesman said.
During their investigation into the parole violation, detectives uncovered evidence that Nieto-Sanchez was involved in a sexual relationship with a juvenile and had been contacting minors through social media, including while serving time in prison.
He was released from state prison in October 2024 and investigators believe there may be additional victims that have yet to be contacted.
Nieto-Sanchez was formally charged with felony sex crimes and is being held in jail on $2 million bail.
The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact either the RPD Gang Intelligence Unit at 951-203-2274, or the Child Abuse Unit at 951-353-7945.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Riverside Police Department's Atlas 1 mobile app.
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