Arrest in Internet Child Porn Case

A San Clemente man was arrested on suspicion of distributing child pornography on an Internet chat room, police said Saturday.

The case is the second sex-related arrest in Huntington Beach involving children and the Internet within a week.

“We want to use this example to warn parents of the possible dangers on the Internet,” Police Lt. Luis Ochoa said.

The latest case involved Mark Malatesta, a 34-year-old retirement planner who allegedly contacted an undercover police officer on the information superhighway earlier this week to distribute pornography, Ochoa said. The man met with a detective about 7:15 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of a shopping center at Beach Boulevard and Utica Avenue, where he was arrested.

A 9-millimeter handgun was found in the man’s car and additional pornographic materials were discovered at Malatesta’s Calle Sol home, Ochoa said.

Malatesta was booked on suspicion of distributing pornography and possession of a firearm, and was released on $50,000 bail early Saturday, Ochoa said. Malatesta had two aliases, Mark Monroe and Mark Smulzitski, police said.

On Tuesday, police arrested another man on suspicion of using the Internet to solicit a child to commit a lewd act and child molestation.

Edward Rodriguez, 39, of Allentown, Pa., met a detective in an Internet chat room and allegedly arranged to have sex with the officer and his son in a Huntington Beach hotel room, police said at the time. Rodriguez flew to Orange County on Monday and checked into the Huntington Beach hotel, where police said they found sexual aids that the man allegedly intended to use on the boy.

Rodriguez is being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. A bail hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, police said.