LOS ANGELES, CA – A 68-year-old Moreno Valley man who fostered approximately 90 children over the years has been charged with multiple felony sex offenses after investigators identified four people who say they were sexually abused while living in his care as children, authorities said.
The Riverside Police Department began investigating Edward Sepulveda in September 2025 after receiving a report involving historical sexual abuse of a child, police said.
As the investigation progressed, detectives identified three additional alleged victims.
Police said the four reported incidents occurred about 24 years ago, when the alleged victims were children living at a residence in the 600 block of Highlander Drive in Riverside.
Investigators also allege that Sepulveda abused victims at other locations in Moreno Valley.
Authorities said Sepulveda had served as a foster parent and fostered approximately 90 children over the years.
He was arrested July 17 and booked on multiple felony sexual abuse charges.
Public court information indicates Sepulveda faces seven counts of aggravated sexual assault of a minor, along with one count each of committing a lewd act on a child, sexual penetration of a child and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
He remained in custody with bail set at $1 million.
The allegations remain unproven, and Sepulveda is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted in court.
The investigation is being handled by detectives specializing in sexual assault and child abuse cases.
Police said they believe there may be additional victims or other people with information relevant to the investigation.
The number of children Sepulveda allegedly fostered has made that possibility a central focus of the continuing inquiry.
California’s current foster-care approval system includes extensive screening of prospective caregivers.
The California Department of Social Services’ Resource Family Approval Program requires a comprehensive family evaluation, review of the home environment and training before families are approved to care for foster children.
The system now used by California differs from the framework in place more than two decades ago, when the alleged abuse in this case occurred.
Current state requirements include criminal-history and child-abuse checks for foster-care applicants and other adults living in approved homes.
According to the California Department of Social Services, people associated with facilities that care for children must undergo a Child Abuse Central Index check before they can be cleared.
The state also requires criminal-record screening, and certain serious convictions — including sexual battery and child abuse — cannot be exempted under the caregiver background-check process.
Federal and state rules were strengthened through implementation of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which added FBI criminal-history checks and, in applicable cases, out-of-state child abuse and neglect registry reviews for prospective foster parents and other adults in a foster home.
Those requirements provide context for how foster caregivers are screened today, but authorities have not publicly disclosed what licensing or background-review process applied specifically to Sepulveda when he became a foster parent.
Police also have not said which agencies placed children in his home or over what span of years he served as a foster caregiver.
Investigators have not released the identities of the four alleged victims, which is standard in cases involving sexual abuse.
They also have not disclosed the alleged victims’ exact ages when the reported abuse occurred.
The Riverside Police Department said the alleged abuse dates back roughly 24 years.
Historical sexual-abuse investigations can present challenges because physical evidence may no longer exist and witnesses may be difficult to locate, making statements, records and corroborating information especially important.
Authorities have not described what evidence investigators have collected in Sepulveda’s case beyond identifying the four alleged victims.
They also have not said whether records from foster-care agencies, schools, medical providers or social-service departments are part of the investigation.
The California Department of Social Services says child abuse allegations can be reported to county child protective services or law enforcement and may lead to investigations designed to determine whether a child is at risk and whether intervention is necessary.
For children currently in foster care, California also provides avenues outside local law enforcement for reporting abuse or violations of foster youth rights.
The state directs foster youth and others with concerns to the Foster Care Ombudsperson, while complaints involving licensed foster-care or child-care facilities can also be reported to Community Care Licensing.
Those resources are separate from the criminal investigation into Sepulveda.
Police are specifically seeking people who may have had contact with him during the years he served as a foster parent or who may know of additional alleged abuse.
Authorities have not said whether every child formerly placed in Sepulveda’s care has been contacted.
They also have not said whether investigators are reviewing placements involving children from counties outside Riverside County.
Sepulveda remained jailed following his July arrest.
No trial date was immediately announced in the information released with the investigation.
Police emphasized that the case remains open and that detectives believe additional people may have information.
Anyone who believes they were victimized by Sepulveda or who has information about the allegations is asked to contact Riverside Police Officer B. Vera at 951-353-7945 or [email protected].
The investigation remains ongoing.
