2 locals held in porn case

Marisa O’Neil

Federal authorities on Wednesday announced charges against 20 Orange

County residents -- among them, one from Newport Beach and one from

Costa Mesa -- accused of possessing or distributing child

pornography.

Federal grand juries issued indictments July 6 against John

Breault, 42, of Newport Beach and Mario Ralph Riley, 49, of Costa

Mesa, Assistant U.S. Atty. Richard Lee said. Both face up to 10 years

in federal prison if convicted of a crime.

Indictments were also issued on 17 other men, and another nine

Southern California residents agreed to plead guilty in federal court

to charges they possessed child pornography.

Newport Beach police started investigating Breault in April of

last year when he was seen videotaping children on the playground at

Newport Elementary School, Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

“People thought it was suspicious and called police,” Hartford

said. “He admitted he was filming the girls on the playground.”

Police interviewed Breault and he also admitted to having

pornographic images of children on his computer, Hartford said.

A search of his home in the 4200 block of Hilaria Way found those

images, police said.

“He further admitted he had videotaped preteen girls at his

daughter’s baton-twirling competition for his own sexual

gratification,” Hartford said.

Police arrested Breault and forwarded the pornographic evidence to

the FBI.

Costa Mesa resident Riley is charged with possession of child

pornography according to a federal indictment. He is accused of

ordering videotapes and a compact disc of illegal images online from

an undercover officer.

Others named in indictments are: Anaheim residents Darren William

Bell, 36, Richard Vince, 52, and Richard Don Beeman, 50; Andrew David

Caballero, 47, of Cypress; Orange residents Theodore Richard Hutt,

66, and Michael Drake, 40; Fernando Esparza, 47, of Chino; Mitchell

Scott Jacky, 41, of Huntington Beach; Paul McCartney, 35, of Garden

Grove; Billy Joe McDonald, 25, of Lake Forest; Christopher Lee

McFarland, 56, of Irvine; Mario Mauricio Melgar, 42, of Newbury Park;

William Meusch, 57, of Long Beach; Maxob Anthony Regonas Mira, 28, of

Fresno; Ismael Vela Pinedo, 36, of Indio; Kenneth Lee Rankin, 53, of

Victorville; and John Scobey, 40, of Garden Grove.

Another nine people agreed to plead guilty to charges. They were:

Brian Davis, 38, of Capistrano Beach; Kiem Flint, 27, of Fountain

Valley; Jesus Rojero Gurrola, 39, of Stevenson Ranch; Paul Laursen,

70, of Yorba Linda; Emerson Mangabat, 33, of Ladera Ranch; Daniel Lee

Parsons, 35, of Mission Viejo; Brian Ernest Sanders, 27, of Garden

Grove; Jeffrey Szweistis, 45, of Rancho Santa Margarita; and Brian

Triggs, 48, of Anaheim.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].