February 11, 2026 – Placer County Sheriff's Office officials announced that on Safer Internet Day this year’s focus was Exploitation Awareness. Kids are increasingly at risk from online threats, including the misuse of personal photos, AI-generated deepfakes, and scams designed to manipulate and exploit them.

Our team remains dedicated to protecting children in our community. Recently, online predator Adrian Viguri was sentenced to 14 years in prison following an investigation by our detectives.

In this case, Viguri used the video game Call of Duty to contact a local child. Using the game’s messaging features, he built trust through shared interests and conversations that appeared friendly at first. That relationship took a dangerous turn when Viguri convinced the child to move the conversation to a private messaging app designed to hide communications. From there, the exploitation escalated. Viguri sent explicit sexual videos of himself and pressured the child to do the same.

Through the work of our detectives, the predator was identified and taken into custody. The Placer County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, leading to Viguri being sentenced to prison. This case is a powerful reminder that online dangers are real and often begin in places that seem harmless.

We encourage families to stay informed, have open conversations with kids about online safety, and remain vigilant about who they are interacting with online.

Learn more about staying “App Safe,” including privacy settings for kids’ devices: placer.ca.gov/AppSafe

Learn how to recognize and guard against grooming: placer.ca.gov/Guard

Our kids deserve protection and it takes all of us working together to keep them safe.

Source: Placer County Sheriff's Office