A California male nanny grinned as he was sentenced to 707 years in prison for abusing more than a dozen boys in his care.
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was convicted last month of sexually assaulting 16 boys aged two to 14 and displaying other child pornography.
The 34-year-old babysitter carried out the sordid campaign of abuse from 2014 until his arrest in May 2019. Many of his crimes were filmed and played out in court.
“We have seen you turn harassment into a game,” Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger told him Friday.
During his sentencing, the grandmother of one of his victims pleaded with Menninger: “A death sentence is too good for him…Please show no mercy to this animal.”
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was sentenced to 707 years in prison for sexually abusing 16 boys and showing more child pornography
He was convicted of 34 crimes, including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, after investigators discovered video evidence of his sick crimes
Zakrzewski, of Costa Mesa, described himself as a male nanny, or “Manny,” and bragged about his experience as a child care provider
Zakrzewski, of Costa Mesa, maintained eye contact with his victims’ families as they read their impact statements.
He told them he wanted their sons to “break through the clouds and shine bright” but didn’t apologize, ABC7 reported.
Zakrzewski’s crimes came to light after a Laguna Beach family reported him for inappropriately touching their son.
He was subsequently convicted of 34 crimes, including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, after investigators discovered video evidence of his sick crimes.
At the sentencing, his victims’ families wept as they read emotional impact statements detailing the therapy they had to undergo.
One mother described having to take her 12-year-old son for testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
“I mourned my son’s childhood when he was a child,” she said. “I can no longer look at his sweet baby photos without crying. All I can see is a child who has been abused and manipulated into not saying anything.
‘Was it worth it? Did you get what you wanted? Because I don’t understand how anyone could imagine things going any other way.’
Zakrzewski’s victims ranged in age from two to 14 and came from throughout Southern California
At his sentencing on Friday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger told him, “We saw how you turned harassment into a game” after prosecutors played sick videos of the abuse he filmed himself
The victims’ families wept in court as they detailed the horrific impact his crimes had on their children, branding him an “animal” and begging the judge to show “no mercy.”
The mother of a child who was just three years old when he was attacked told the court how Zakrzewski taught him to keep secrets.
Others called him a “robber” who “stole the souls of their children.”
The court was played sickening video evidence that showed Zakrzewski used games to “normalize” the abuse, Assistant District Attorney Juliet Oliver said.
According to prosecutors, one of the videos showed a victim lying naked on top of him while the defendant “caressed” her.
In another, he showed himself touching himself with a boy on his lap, while a third video showed him playing a game called “Rocket Ship.”
He sat with the victim on his lap and said, “It feels like we’re having sex,” Oliver said.
Zakrzewski had described himself on his website as “Manny,” who not only watched children but also provided a fun “buddy” experience.
The couple, who initially raised an issue with Zakrzewski, hired him through one of his many babysitting websites.
One mother described having to take her 12-year-old son for sexually transmitted disease testing because of Zakrzewski’s crimes
Zakrzewski did not apologize to his victims’ families in court, but told them he hoped their sons would “break through the clouds and shine brightly.”
Investigators with the Laguna Beach Police Department’s Major Crimes & Intelligence Unit soon learned of a seven-year-old alleged victim from Los Angeles.
They quickly learned of 10 additional alleged victims across Southern California.
Zakrzewski was one of the founders of My Sitter/Buddy, a website dedicated to “connecting Orange County children with quality, pre-vetted sitters – any day, any time of the week.”
“It was really disgusting for me and the rest of the detectives that we were completely focused on this investigation,” said Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jim Cota told KTLA back in 2019.
On his website, which is no longer active, he states that he has more than six years of experience in childcare – that is, looking after children between the ages of three months and 14 years. He also offered overnight and travel assistance.
“I discovered very early on how much joy it is to work with children and to have a positive influence on their lives through the ‘Buddy Program’ at my middle school.”
“Now I am a working professional and my 6+ years of child care experience ranges from 3 months to 14 years, including special needs… I think the reason I connect with children so easily is because I’m not just there to supervise, but to participate. ‘ he wrote on his website.
The pedophile’s now-deleted babysitting websites say he discovered the “joy” of working with children early in life
District Attorney Todd Spitzer called his crimes the “ultimate betrayal of a babysitter.”
On the website, he is pictured shirtless in a pool with little boys and smiling during a photo shoot.
“These boys endured unimaginable terror at the ultimate betrayal of a babysitter,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
Zakrzewsk’s sentence, while long, is not the longest that has been handed down.
Oklahoma child rapist Charles Scott Robinson holds the record for the longest prison sentence imposed on a single person on multiple counts.
He was sentenced on December 23, 1994 to 30,000 years in prison, including 5,000 years for each of the six counts of child rape against him.