John Edward Lario sentenced to 50 years to life for child sexual assault

John Edward Lario, a 21-year-old man from Banning, California, has been sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison for the sexual assault of two young boys and the production of related videos.

Lario pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 and sentence-enhancing allegations of targeting multiple minors. The sentencing followed a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, in which eight related charges were dismissed.

The investigation was triggered in September 2024 after the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs alerted U.S. Homeland Security Investigations regarding internet-based child pornography traceable to a local resident. This led to a coordinated effort between the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET) and HSI, resulting in Lario’s arrest at his home on September 3, 2024.

Prosecutors identified the first victim as an 8-year-old boy. Further investigation revealed a second victim who had been repeatedly assaulted between the fall of 2022 and September 2024.