An Orange County nanny was convicted Tuesday of molesting 16 young boys and showing pornography to a 17th boy while they were under his care.
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 34, of Costa Mesa, was convicted by a jury of 34 felony counts, including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14, oral copulation of a child under the age of 10, possession of child pornography, using a minor for sex acts, and more.
Zakrzewski had worked as a nanny for many families across Southern California. His victims ranged in age from 2 to 12 years old, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The crimes were committed between Jan. 1, 2014 and May 17, 2019. He filmed many of the sexual assaults on the boys as well, officials said.
In May 2019, a Laguna Beach couple reported to police that their babysitter, Zakrzewski, had inappropriately touched their 8-year-old son. They were concerned for their child’s safety and potentially other children.
The couple had hired Zakrzewski to care for their son through one of his several babysitting websites.
Laguna Beach police opened an investigation which led to the discovery of a second victim, a 7-year-old boy in L.A., along with 10 more boys across Southern California.
Zakrzewski called himself “the original Sitter Buddy” on his website, describing himself as a “manny” who provided a variety of babysitting services, including mentorships, big brother relationships along with overnight and vacation babysitting.
“In the eighth grade, I discovered what a joy it was to work with children and be a positive impact in their lives through my school’s `Buddy Program,'” Zakrzewski wrote on his Sitter Buddy website. “Now, I am a full-service TrustLine Certified provider of regular and on-demand childcare, as well as mentoring services for children.”
He was arrested on May 17, 2019, by Laguna Beach detectives at a local airport after deplaning an international flight.
He faces 690 years to life, plus eight additional years. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement saying:
“These young boys were forced to endure unimaginable terror as a result of the ultimate betrayal by a babysitter. These parents thought they were hiring a trusted caregiver for their children while they went on family vacations, date nights, and for other childcare needs; instead they were unknowingly letting a monster walk into their homes and prey upon their innocent children in the vilest way.
I am incredibly proud of the young victims who bravely took the stand to testify against their abuser, the parents who were by their side every step of the way, and the parents who testified themselves. By standing up to this predator and telling the truth about what he did, they are ensuring that the voices of the victims of sexual assault are being heard while they are protecting other children from being victimized.”
Zakrzewski was ultimately charged with 34 felony counts including:
-27 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14
-Two felony counts of oral copulation of a child under the age of 10
-One felony count of possession of child pornography
-One felony count of using a minor for sex acts
-Two felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct
-One felony count of an attempted lewd or lascivious act with a minor under the age of 14