A forensic investigator examines a computer seized in a raid targeting child porn on computers on Aug. 18 at a lab in Long Beach. (Photo courtesy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Five local men accused of sharing child pornography over the Internet were among 52 Southern Californians arrested in a federal sting operation, authorities announced Tuesday.

Jensen Quan, 24, of Rowland Heights was arrested in the sting, according to a statement from the United States Department of Justice.

The suspects have been booked on charges ranging from possession of child pornography to manufacturing child pornography.

The sting targeted people sharing child porn through “peer-to-peer” file-sharing networks — programs better known for music sharing such as “Limewire” that allow computer users to transfer files to each other, often for free, officials said.

Law enforcement officials noted that some of those arrested had prior convictions for sex offenses. The maximum sentence for a first conviction of possession of child porn is 10 years in federal prison, officials said.

“… We have a message for child sex predators who think they can escape justice by hiding in Cyberspace,” said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles. “We will do everything in our power and use every tool at our disposal to keep our children safe, whether they are around the block or around the world.”