Male nanny, 30, faces 690 years in prison after being charged with abusing 17 boys in California, including one as young as two
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA: A male nanny in California has been charged with abusing 17 young boys in his care and faces up to 690 years in prison. According to a statement by the District Attorney in Orange County, California, the boys were as young as two-years-old to 12 years.
30-year-old Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was arrested on May 17 earlier this year by Laguna Beach Police Department detectives at a local airport. At the time, Zakrzewski was getting off an international flight. He had initially been charged with three felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14, and one felony count of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10 and had been charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in May and is now being held in Orange County Jail. His bail has been set for $1.25 million.
In May 2019, a couple from Laguna Beach had reported to the local police that Zakrzewski who was their manny had touched their 8-year-old son inappropriately and that they were "concerned for the safety of their son and potentially other children", the release said. He had been picked through a babysitting site, one of the many he had. The investigation led the authorities to another victim in Los Angeles, who was seven, following which they found ten more.
"These parents were led to believe that they could trust this man with the most precious thing in their entire world – their children,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, “Instead, he preyed on these innocent boys and violated that trust in a vile and sadistic way.”
According to the prosecutors of the case, Zakrzewski is said to have abused the children between January 2014 and May 17, 2019. Currently, he has been charged with 33 felony counts that include 27 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14 as well as charges of oral copulation of a child under the age of 10, along with possessing child pornography. More and more victims of the manny were identified as the investigation went forward, the release said that led to the charges increasing against him.
Anyone who has information related to this investigation or any other unreported incidents involving Zakrzewski is urged to call the Laguna Beach Investigations Division line at (949) 715-1300.