Crime & Safety
Cypress Man Accused of Using Social Media to Find Underage Victims
Authorities are seeking the public's help to find more victims, gather more information. At the time of the alleged crimes, Michael Mordaunt worked in Seal Beach.
A Cypress man has been charged with using social media to contact underage girls with the intention of making lewd acts and authorities are looking for more victims.
At the time of the alleged crimes, Michael Theodore Mordaunt, 45, worked in the information technology department at the Boeing Co. in Seal Beach, according to a press release from multiple agencies, including the Orange County District Attorney's office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mordaunt is charged with:
- 14 felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a specified crime
- Five felony counts of lewd acts upon a child
- Two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14
- Two felony counts of meeting a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct
- One felony count of possession and control of child pornography
- And a sentencing enhancement allegation for substantial sexual conduct with a child
Mordaunt is accused
Between February 2009 and January 2014, Mordaunt is accused creating several Myspace and Facebook accounts, using theimage of a young teenage boy who is surfing, officials said.
He allegedly contacted minor girls, primarily between the ages of 12 and 16 years old, with the intent to commit lewd acts on the victims, according to the press release.
The defendant is accused of requesting and receiving sexually explicit pictures from several victims.
"On multiple occasions, Mordaunt is accused of committing lewd acts on multiple Jane Does," the press release says.
Garden Grove police began its investigation in 2013 and has since been joined by Anaheim, La Palma, Los Alamitos, and Seal Beach police departments, the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.
If convicted, Mordaunt faces a maximum sentence of 27 years and four months in state prison and mandatory lifetime registration as a sex offender. He is out of custody on $300,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned Monday.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Paul Carvo at (714) 347-8794 or GGPD Detective Dave Young at (714) 741-5836, or CPD Detective Deanna Hartman at (714) 229-3391.
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