Sacramento, California — A federal grand jury indicted two men on Thursday for child sex crimes following an undercover operation in Sacramento County. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit, conducted the operation, which led to the arrests of Kevin Gipson, 58, and Kenneth Lorenz, 81, in July.
During the investigation, an undercover detective communicated with Gipson, who expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with a 10-year-old victim of child trafficking.
Gipson allegedly purchased sex toys with the intent to use them on the child and disclosed to the detective that he had previously engaged in sexual activity with two minors. Gipson then introduced the detective to Lorenz, who also allegedly expressed a desire to engage in sexual acts with the child.
A search warrant executed at Lorenz’s residence uncovered sex toys and over 1,000 files of child pornography stored on flash drives and a laptop. Both men had prior convictions for sex offenses, which previously would have required lifetime registration.
However, under California’s revised three-tier registration system adopted in 2021, they were no longer subject to lifetime registration.
Gipson and Lorenz are held without bail in the Sacramento County Main Jail. Investigators believe there may be additional victims and urge anyone with information to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
This predatory behavior highlights the urgent need to combat child trafficking and protect vulnerable children from such horrific exploitation.
