Exploitation of Young Models Suspected

A 43-year-old Anaheim man has been arrested on suspicion of child exploitation after police found more than a 1,000 photos and dozens of videos in his studio of nude, apparently underage girls, police said Thursday.

Michael Deane Irwin was arrested at his home Wednesday after a six-week investigation of his rent-a-model business. The case began when a 16-year-old girl and her parents told police she had been photographed there in the nude, according to Anaheim Police Sgt. Steve Walker.

Irwin was also held on suspicion of drug possession with intent to sell after police found 60 grams of marijuana, scales and plastic bags, Walker said. Irwin was being held Thursday at the Anaheim jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Irwin ran a modeling service at 2021 E. Via Burton, where customers paid $15 to $50 an hour to photograph or videotape nude models in assorted studio settings, such as a bathtub, a mechanic’s workshop or in front of a fireplace, Walker said.

Customers selected models by thumbing through a large, three-ring notebook with glossy photos, Walker said. The models in the notebook were all adults, many even shown holding their driver’s licenses to prove their age, but Walker said the agency also arranged for minors to model.

“It’s the girls they used who weren’t shown in the registry that we were interested in,” Walker said, adding that there was no evidence of prostitution or molestation.

Anaheim detectives ask that anyone with information about the case call Walker at (714) 254-1451.