Southern California man arrested for soliciting sex from minors on Reddit

In this undated photo, a guard is seen escorting a prisoner at a California prison. (KTLA)

A 34-year-old Orange County man faces 25 years to life in prison after he was arrested last week. Authorities said earlier this month he reportedly used the social media platform Reddit to solicit sex with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but was actually an undercover police officer.

In January and February 2023, San Juan Capistrano resident Shaw Warrington attempted to solicit sex from minors in Orange County through Reddit, according to an indictment unsealed on May 23, 2024.

“An undercover police officer responded to Warrington’s requests and eventually arranged a meeting at a Newport Beach mall where Warrington believed he would engage in sexually criminal conduct,” said a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California.

The 34-year-old was arrested after appearing at the meeting and a search of his mobile phone allegedly revealed two images depicting child sexual abuse.

During a search of his home, investigators seized a firearm and more than 350 rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Warrington, who was convicted in 2013 of meeting with a minor to engage in lewd behavior, is prohibited by law from possessing a gun or ammunition.

The US Attorney’s Office has charged the 34-year-old with:

• one count of attempted seduction of a minor to engage in criminal sexual acts
• one count of attempted production of child pornography
• one count of committing a crime against a minor while required to register as a sex offender
• one case of possession of child pornography
• one count of criminal possession of a firearm and ammunition

During his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Warrington pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is being held without bail.

The hearing date was set for July 16.

If convicted on all counts, Warrington faces a minimum sentence of 25 years – 15 years for attempted production of child pornography and a mandatory 10-year sentence for committing a crime against a minor while required to be registered as a sex offender, the press release said.

The maximum sentence he faces is life imprisonment in a federal prison.

Detectives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Newport Beach Police Department continue to investigate the case.