Man pleads guilty to posing as a boy on social media to lure and molest girls
A Cypress man who previously worked in information technology in Seal Beach has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges in connection with allegations that he posed as a boy on social media to lure and molest girls.
Michael Theodore Mordaunt, 47, created several Myspace and Facebook profiles using the image of a young teenage boy surfing to contact underage girls between February 2009 and January 2014, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Mordaunt pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to 30 felony charges, including luring a child with intent to commit a specified crime, lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, child pornography and meeting a minor to commit lewd conduct, according to Orange County Superior Court records.
Prosecutors said Mordaunt had sexually explicit conversations and arranged in-person meetings with girls through social media, text messages and phone calls. The victims typically were between the ages of 12 and 16.
Mordaunt also received sexually explicit photos from several underage girls and performed lewd acts on multiple victims, according to prosecutors.
At the time of the crimes, Mordaunt was employed in Boeing Co.’s information technology department in Seal Beach.
He is expected to be sentenced March 20. He could face 12 years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
