'Prolific' Millbrae Sexual Predator Convicted, Cops Seek Victims

MILLBRAE, CA — A day after a Utah man — dubbed "a prolific sexual predator" by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office — was convicted of two felony charges related to the sexual molestation of his then 7-year-old nice at a Millbrae home, officials are looking for other possible victims to come forward.

Latu Kamisese Lavaki, now 62, molested the girl in her own home during the Christmas break of the 2006-2007 school year, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

He was found guilty on Monday after a 14-day trial of one count of performing a lewd act on a child and one count of forcible sexual penetration and now faces up to eight years in prison, according to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The jury deadlocked on a third count, felony oral copulation on a child.

Prosecutors said Lavaki lured the girl into an upstairs room of the home by promising her a chocolate bar and, when they were alone, removed her clothes and molested her. Several years later, the victim came forward with her story after learning that her mother and at least two of her aunts had also been molested by Lavaki in the 1980s, Wagstaffe said.

The sheriff's office on Tuesday said Lavaki "victimized many girls over the past few decades." He was arrested about two years ago and was extradited from Utah.

"Unfortunately, with the statute of limitation for some of these crimes, we were unable to prosecute him on all the cases we knew about," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "But, we believe there are potentially more victims out there."

Officials asked for the public's help in locating any witnesses or victims that have yet to come forward.

"[Lavaki] has ties in San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and in the state of Utah," the sheriff's office said.

Anyone with additional information or whose children had contact with Lavaki is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Joseph Cang at (650) 363-4008 or jcang@smcgov.org.Lavaki is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 7.

— Images via San Mateo County / Bay City News Service contributed to this report