President of children’s charity tried to meet 14-year-old for sex in San Francisco, police say

Bryan Rosenthal Bryan Rosenthal Photo: SFPD / Photo: SFPD / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close President of children’s charity tried to meet 14-year-old for sex in San Francisco, police say 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The president of a Vallejo children’s charity who arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sexual contact in San Francisco was met instead by police, officials say.

Bryan Rosenthal, 45, of Vallejo, was arrested on Tuesday when he showed up to meet the girl, police said on Thursday.

The San Francisco Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit began investigating Rosenthal in early September, authorities said. The unit found that Rosenthal had allegedly tried to send graphic images to the child.

Upon his arrest, police took Rosenthal’s cell phone and discovered that he was having “sexually explicit” conversations with other minors and was attempting to meet some of them too, authorities said.

Rosenthal runs a children’s charity in Vallejo called Cann-I-Dream Foundation. On its website, the group states that it raises money to “make a better life for our children, thus creating a world full of abundance, love, and hope for our future.”

Rosenthal was booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of arranging a meeting with a minor for sexual contact, going to an arranged meeting with a minor for sexual contact, sending harmful material to a minor, communication with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd and lascivious behavior, possession of child pornography and producing child pornography.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com