Banning man accused of sexually abusing boy pleads not guilty

A 20-year-old man accused of sexually abusing a young boy and sharing videos of the act on the Internet pleaded not guilty today to more than half a dozen charges.

John Edward Lario of Banning was arrested earlier this month following an investigation by the multi-agency Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET).

Lario is accused of four counts of forced oral sex on a minor, two counts of indecent acts with children, one count each of using a minor to produce child pornography and child endangerment.

He was arraigned Thursday before Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro, who scheduled a plea hearing for Dec. 4 at the Banning Justice Center.

The defendant is being held at Smith Correctional Facility on $1 million bail.

According to the District Attorney's Office, the New Zealand Department of Homeland Security contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's investigative agency in early September after foreign investigators discovered child pornography on the Internet that was traced back to a Riverside County resident.

HSI and RCCET coordinated their efforts to identify the party responsible for distributing the obscene matter and eventually allegedly linked them to Lario. They gathered enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, which was executed on Sept. 3 at his Charles Street home, authorities said.

“This led to the identity of the alleged victim, an 8-year-old boy,” said the prosecutor.

Lario was arrested without incident. The child is no longer in danger.

HSI agent Christopher Bracken said the case demonstrates “HSI's ability to coordinate with its international, state and local partners to quickly track down perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

If convicted, Lario could face a life sentence in prison.

There are no previous felony convictions against him in Riverside County.