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SF Sheriff's Office sting operation leads to five arrests, multiple felony charges

By
KTVU FOX 2
Crime and Public Safety
Published August 5, 2026 2:56 PM PDT
Published August 5, 2026 2:56 PM PDT
article

The Brief

    • Five Bay Area men were arrested as part of a sting operation involving minors.
    • Four of the individuals were charged with felonies and are being held in custody.

SAN FRANCISCO - Five men were on Wednesday charged with multiple felonies in connection to an undercover sting operation conducted by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents show that on July 29 and 30, undercover officers from the SFSO and local Bay Area counties, as well as officers from out of state, participated in an Internet Crimes Against Children Undercover Chat Operation. The officers aimed to identify adults using the internet to exploit and meet with children for sexual purposes.

Each of the five men separately messaged undercover officers and engaged in graphic, sexual language, and indicated their intent to engage sexually with the children being portrayed by the officers. Each man requested to meet in person, at which point officers provided the address of a location in San Francisco. Upon arriving, they were arrested by Sheriff’s deputies.

Local perspective:

The arrested individuals are:

  • Jorge Nieto, 27, of San Francisco. Nieto was arraigned on July 31 and pleaded not guilty. He is charged with two felony counts of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, and two misdemeanor counts of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes. He is currently being held in custody.
  • Michael Pauter, 43, of San Mateo. Pauter was arraigned on July 31 and pleaded not guilty. He is charged with two felony counts of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, and two misdemeanor counts of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes. He is currently being held in custody.
  • Johnny Rodriguez Diaz, 37, of Redwood City. Rodriguez Diaz was arraigned on Aug. 3. He is charged with one misdemeanor count of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes.
  • Romauld Santiago, 32, of Daly City. Santiago was arraigned on Aug. 3 and pleaded not guilty. He is charged with two felony counts of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, and two misdemeanor counts of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes. He is currently being held in custody.
  • Reuben Teague, 50, of San Francisco. Teague was arraigned on Aug. 3 and pleaded not guilty. He is charged with two felony counts of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, and two misdemeanor counts of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, as well as one misdemeanor count of resisting, obstructing, or delaying a peace officer or EMT. He is currently being held in custody.

The Source: San Francisco District Attorney's Office

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