A 30-year-old babysitter service operator from Costa Mesa pleaded not guilty Friday to additional charges of molesting boys, raising the number of alleged victims to seven.
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was charged earlier this month with sexually assaulting two boys in Laguna Beach and Los Angeles, but Friday prosecutors filed an amended complaint adding felony charges related to five additional boys.
Zakrzewski is now charged with 10 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14 and single counts each of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 or younger, using an underage person for obscene matter, attempted lewd act on a child younger than 14, distributing pornography to a minor with the intent to engage in sexual conduct and harmful matter sent to a minor with the intent of seduction, all felonies. He is also charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of child pornography.
Laguna Beach police were contacting the defendant’s clients going back eight years since he started his business.
The law firm representing Zakrzewski, Wallin & Klarich, said: “Under our criminal justice system, a person is presumed innocent unless the contrary is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The fact that someone has been arrested and charged with a crime is no indication of their guilt and cannot be used in court as evidence. We strive to provide each of our clients with the presumption of innocence and will wait until all the evidence is available for their defense.”
Earlier this month Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jim Cota said investigators have identified eight victims, but so far the defendant is charged with molesting seven boys. Cota said it is possible Zakrzewski will face additional charges from more alleged victims.
Zakrzewski’s bail was raised from $1 million to $1.2 million on Friday. Prosecutors had asked for $2 million bail.
Zakrzewski calls himself “the original Sitter Buddy” on his website, in which he also characterizes himself as a “manny” who provides a variety of babysitting services.
“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,”’ he says on the Sitter Buddy website. “Now, I am a full-service TrustLine Certified provider of regular and on-demand child care, as well as mentoring services for children.”
In the cases of the first two alleged victims who came forward, the defendant met them in his job as a babysitter, said Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The boy from Laguna Beach was allegedly assaulted from February to May and the boy in Los Angeles was allegedly molested in December 2017, she said.
Investigators said the defendant possessed child pornography that included himself with one of the alleged victims.
Anyone with information was asked to call Laguna Beach police at 949-715-1300.