Male Nanny Accused Of Sexually Abusing 17 Boys In Orange County Goes To Trial

COSTA MESA, CA — A Costa Mesa child care service provider would play in the nude with the same boys that he is charged with molesting over five years, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday while the defendant's attorney asked jurors to keep an open mind and not make a "rush to judgment."

34-year-old Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski faces 34 felony sex charges related to 17 victims from 2014 through 2019, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

"They thought he was trustworthy," Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver said. "They thought he would protect their children... they thought he would be the best child care provider for their children... they vetted him... he advertised that he worked with kids very well."

According to Oliver, Zakrzewski also spoke highly of his work with children with behavioral disabilities.

One of the boys was 2 to 3 years old when he was molested, and another was 13 to 14 years old, prosecutors said. Many of the other abused boys were 6 to 9 years old, Oliver said.

Some of the parents were drawn to hire Oliver because of the "positive reviews" from other families, Oliver said.

But when parents were away, "the defendant encouraged naked play... and played nakedly with" the children, Oliver said.

Jurors will view interviews investigators arranged between the children and social workers to discuss the conduct, Oliver said.

"Some will describe what happened not even knowing it was wrong," Oliver said.

The mother of one accuser who was the first to come forward to authorities testified that she became acquainted with someone who was a victim of child abuse, prompting her to ask her son some questions one evening that alarmed her enough to go to the police in May 2019.

Oliver said it "unraveled the entire facade."

The investigator assigned to the case quickly became aware of another boy who made a complaint to police in Los Angeles, but wasn't forthcoming with social workers, Oliver said. They decided to have the boy interviewed again and more details emerged, the prosecutor said.

Zakrzewski, who was out of the country while police were searching his home for evidence, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport, Oliver said. Police searched his phone and found evidence of videos he made with other alleged victims that will be considered by jurors, Oliver said.
"I know it will be a difficult (trial) to sit through," Oliver said.

Zakrzewski's attorney, Jennifer Ryan of the Orange County Public Defender's Office, implored jurors "to be clinical and precise" while evaluating the evidence.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint," she said. "You cannot rush to judgment."

Zakrzewski was arrested in May of 2019 when a Laguna Beach family reported that their babysitter touched their 8-year-old son inappropriately.

The couple had hired Zakrzewski to care for their eight-year-old child through one of his several babysitting websites. His website matthewthemanny.com boasts of his work as "role model, mentor, big brother, buddy" and career male-nanny.

"The couple had hired Zakrzewski to care for their eight-year-old child through one of his several babysitting websites," Laguna Beach police said in a statement.

Zakrzewski called himself "the original Sitter Buddy" on his website, in which he also characterized himself as a "manny" who provided a variety of babysitting services.

"In the eighth grade I discovered what a joy it was to work with children and be a positive impact in their lives through my school's 'Buddy Program,"' he says on the Sitter Buddy website. "Now, I am a full-service TrustLine Certified provider of regular and on-demand child care, as well as mentoring services for children."

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