La Habra Man Faces Child Porn Counts

A La Habra man who allegedly molested a relative for three years beginning when she was 4 years old and allowed another man to sexually assault her has been indicted on charges of child pornography, authorities said Wednesday.

Jed Philip Larson Sr., 44, faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on two federal counts of producing and possessing child pornography, said Kumar Kibble, an investigator with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Orange County.

Larson was identified through the agency’s ongoing Operation Predator, a nationwide effort launched in 2003 to identify and arrest child molesters and pornographers. The alleged victim is now 7, and investigators believe she had been molested since she was 4, Kibble said.

“This was the most egregious case I’ve ever seen,” Kibble said.

He said Larson and Wesley Whitcomb, who lived in Texas, would travel to each other’s homes to molest young relatives under each man’s control. Whitcomb allegedly allowed Larson to have sex with his underage son, Kibble said.

Whitcomb was convicted in an unrelated child pornography case and is serving a 30-year sentence.

According to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, Larson recorded sexually explicit images of his relative and shared them through the Internet with pedophiles. Kibble said investigators learned about Larson this month as they continued their investigation into Whitcomb’s contacts. The two men met in an Internet chat room, investigators said.

“Our office got a lead on Larson this month and immediately moved to protect the victim,” he said.

“This was a heartbreaking case of a child who was sexually exploited by a relative and then shared with others.”

More than 6,200 suspects, including about 1,600 in California, have been arrested nationwide since Operation Predator was launched, authorities said.

Orange County sheriff’s investigators are also investigating possible molestation by Larson, which would be tried in state court.