Pedophilia website operator kidnapped Fresno girl, arrested while flying to Virginia, police say
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A 40-year-old man from Virginia has been arrested for flying across the country to kidnap a 12-year-old Fresno girl.
Authorities say on Monday, December 14, they learned that the girl went missing and that she may have been convinced to run away with someone. At that point, the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force took over the investigation.
The ICAC discovered that 40-year-old Nathan Larson flew to Fresno from Virginia, went to the girl's home and convinced her to sneak out of the house and go with him back to Virginia.
Once at the airport, investigators say Larson made the girl wear a wig to make her appear older and asked her to act as if she was disabled. The two were scheduled to fly from Fresno to Washington, DC, with a layover in Denver, Colorado.
Law enforcement in Fresno were able to contact police in Denver and asked them to check for Larson and the girl in the airport. They were found, Larson was arrested, and the girl was reunited with her family later that day.
A search of Larson's house in Virginia on December 17 revealed that he has a disturbing history. Investigators say Larson is a white supremacist who is an advocate for pedophilia. Larson runs a website that encourages raping children and sharing images of the sexual acts. In the two months Larson and the girl were in communication, he convinced her to send naked pictures.
It's a website that New York native Belle DelMasi tried to get shut down. She's used social media to spread awareness. Children who Larson contacted found their way to DelMasi and told her their stories.
"If they didn't decide that they wanted to meet him or if they didn't want to send him naked pictures anymore, then he would be extremely rude to them, dismissive and call them names," she said.
Larson ran a political campaign in 2017 to be part of the Virginia House of Delegates. He aimed to change laws for incestual relationships and to allow sexual activity with minors.
Back in 2008, while living in Colorado, investigators say Larson emailed Secret Service threatening to kill the president. At the time, George W. Bush was set to leave office and Barack Obama was president-elect. He served 14 of his 16-month sentence.
Larson's father, 69-year-old Arthur, has also been arrested for assaulting a Homeland Security Agent during the search of his son's home. The elder Larson was released after posting bond.
Detectives believe that due to his past, there are other victims. You are asked to contact the Fresno County Sheriff's Office if you have any information on Larson's potential victims.
Larson will soon be transported from Denver to the Fresno County Jail. He is facing five felony counts, that carry a potential sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
"I hope that he goes to prison and at the very least, if he doesn't go to prison, then he really needs to be in a psychiatric unit," DelMasi said.
