BMX Coach Charged with Molestation

Investigators are looking for anyone who believes he or she may have been a victim of sexual assault by a bicycle motocross (BMX) coach from Cypress.

Mandak Kohn Griffin, 30, pleaded not guilty in Orange County Superior Court this week to seven counts of child molestation and possession and distribution of child pornography.

The Orange County district attorney’s office says Griffin sexually assaulted three neighborhood boys, ages 7 to 9, and exchanged thousands of child pornography images over the Internet. He is charged with one felony count each of sodomy with a child under 10, one felony count of oral copulation of a child under 10, one felony count of possession and control of child pornography, and one felony count of using a minor for production of obscene matter.

The defendant also faces sentencing enhancement allegations of sexual assault of multiple victims and substantial sexual conduct with a child. If convicted, Griffin could face 85 years to life in state prison. Griffin is being held at the Orange County Jail on $1 million bail.

Between February 2000 and February 2002, authorities say, Griffin  befriended a 9-year-old boy whose family lived in the Griffin’s Cypress neighborhood. He is accused of inviting several neighborhood boys over to his house to hang out and look at pornographic movies and magazines and of fondling the 9-year-old.  According to investigators, the boy did not report the incident at the time.

During the same time frame, authorities say, Griffin befriended and then sexually assaulted an 8-year-old boy after becoming romantically involved with the boy's female relative. The boy also did not disclose the alleged sexual assault at the time, according to investigators.

Griffin is accused of befriending in 2003 a 7-year-old boy who was related to a friend. According to investigators, he invited the boy to play video games and spend the night after taking him on outings, including monster truck rallies. He is accused of sexually assaulting the boy repeatedly and of taking a pornographic photo of the boy.

According to investigators with the FBI and the Orange County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (OC SAFE) team, Griffin exchanged numerous images of child pornography on an Internet site.

It was during joint-investigation of child pornography conducted by SAFE and the Cypress Police Department that they learned of Griffin's three alleged victims.

Investigators used the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (OCRCFL) launched earlier this year to process all the digital evidence in this case. The lab is designed to arm law enforcement agencies with the expertise and equipment to combat cyber crime.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information or who believes he or she may have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy Litwin at 714-347-8794.