A male nanny based in California was sentenced to over 700 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting 16 boys in his care, and exposing another child to pornography, authorities said in a press release.
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 34, was convicted of 34 felonies on Nov. 17, and was sentenced to 705 years to life in prison, plus two years and eight months for molesting 16 young boys between the ages of two and 12 years old, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office press release. Zakrzewski, additionally showed a 17th boy “child pornography with the intent to also sexually assault him.” He also filmed many of the sexual assaults, the DA’s Office said. (RELATED: Police Report 5-Year-Old Stabs Twin Brother To Death)
“This is a case of shattered innocence and precious childhoods that were robbed from 17 little boys. These children will never know the people they were truly intended to be – because their childhoods were suddenly and inexplicably interrupted not by a wolf at the door, but by a predator masquerading as godsend,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer stated.
NEW: Male babysitter Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski has been sentenced to 700+ years in prison for s*xually assaulting 16 boys in California.
Burn in h*ll.
The boys ranged in age from 2-12 years old when Zakrzewski assaulted them.
One mother of a boy who was 2 years old when… pic.twitter.com/9WqI4PdyJX
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 20, 2023
“These innocent little boys must bear a lifetime of trauma, and their parents will bear a lifetime of pain knowing that they put their precious children in the arms of an animal because they believed who he said he was. But that was a lie. He had no interest in protecting these children; his only interest was in preying on their innocence and filming the assaults for his sick sexual gratification,” Spitzer added.
Zakrzewski was arrested in May 2019 by the Laguna Beach Police Department and was originally charged with three felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under 14, one felony count of oral copulation of a child under 10, and one felony count of possession of child pornography, according the DA’s press release. (RELATED: French Senator Accused Of Drugging Colleague With Intent To Rape, Prosecutors Say)
However, as the investigation continued more victims were “identified through video evidence and tips from the public,” the release noted.
The male nanny had a website in which he called himself “the original Sitter Buddy,” stating he was a “manny” who provided various babysitting services, which included “mentorships, big brother relationships and offering overnight and vacation babysitting,” according to the DA’s press release.
“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’s website stated, according to the press release. “Now, I am a full-service TrustLine Certified provider of regular and on-demand childcare, as well as mentoring services for children.”
Parents of the victims gave their impact statements in court, with a mother of a two-year-old, who was molested by Zakrzewski, describing the heartbreak she has knowing she will never be able to meet the child her son could have been had he not been sexually assaulted.
While Zakrzewski gave a statement to the court, he notably never apologized. Instead he stated that he “prided” himself on “bringing smiles” to the children.
“All the good times we shared were 100 percent genuine,” Zakrzewski said as some of the victims’ parents “covered their ears” and cried, according to the press release.