A prominent California real estate investor has been charged with multiple felonies for his alleged involvement in an online child sex ring sting operation. Reuben Teague, 50, a former vice president at Prudential Financial and executive director for PGIM, was arrested by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department as part of an Internet Crimes Against Children undercover operation.
Prosecutors claim Teague used online platforms to lure underage victims with the intent of engaging in sexual conduct. Undercover officers posed as minors in a sting operation, and court documents state Teague communicated with them using graphic, sexual language. He allegedly requested to meet a child in person and arrived at a location provided by the undercover officers in San Francisco, where he was apprehended.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the charges, which include two felony counts of meeting a minor for lewd purposes and multiple misdemeanor counts related to arranging such meetings and resisting a peace officer. Teague pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment and is being held in police custody.
San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto stated that Teague was one of five men arrested during the operation. "That is an important reminder that there is no single profile of someone who commits these crimes," Miyamoto said. "One of the biggest lessons from the operations like this is you never truly know who is behind a computer screen."
The other men arrested and charged include Jorge Nieto, 27, of San Francisco; Michael Pauter, 43, of San Mateo; Jhonny Rodriguez Diaz, 37, of Redwood City; and Romuald Santiago, 32, of Daly City. Teague, who holds an economics degree from Princeton University and a law degree from NYU School of Law, previously oversaw significant real estate and social impact investments at Prudential.
