Feds: Solano County man distributed child sex abuse material, solicited people for girls to abuse

SACRAMENTO — A Solano County man has been arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography after he allegedly shared the files with an undercover federal agent online, while offering to commit a lewd act on camera for the agent’s purported child, according to court records.

Robert William Farantino was charged with distributing child sexual abuse material, which carries a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. He was released from jail to his sister’s home on Jan. 30 after agreeing to a $20,000 unsecured bond, court records show.

Farantino allegedly shared child sexual abuse material with the undercover agent on a chat app called Kik. On his phone, authorities say they found other communications where he offered an online user $200 for sex after the user told Farantino they were a 13-year-old girl. He also allegedly solicited an “apparent pimp” for access to an underage girl, stating he wanted one between the ages of 8 and 15, prosecutors said in a detention memo.

“(Farantino) asked a Kik user who claimed to have access to underage children for the ‘menu’ and the two discussed the cost for having minors perform sexual acts on camera,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney wrote in the memo.

Farantino, a resident of Suisun City, is next due in court on March 24.