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Orange County District Attorney
Press Release
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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701
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For Immediate Release
Case # 13HF0513
January 29, 2014
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Contacts:
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Susan Kang Schroeder
Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami
Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486
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MALE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSING AS TEENAGE GIRL ENCOURAGING SEX ACTS AND OBTAINING NUDE PHOTOS OF OVER 100 UNDERAGE BOYS THROUGH FACEBOOK
SANTA ANA An Anaheim high school teacher was convicted and sentenced today to 10 years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration for encouraging sex acts and soliciting and possessing nude photos and videos of over 100 underage boys by posing as a teenage girl on Facebook. Zachary Joshua Reeder, 31, Orange, pleaded guilty today to four felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, two felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act, one felony count each of using a minor for sex acts, lewd act upon a child, possession and control of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.
At the time of the crimes, Reeder was a history teacher at Servite High School, an all-boys college preparatory high school in Anaheim. Reeder previously worked as a history teacher and a walk-on assistant baseball coach for four seasons at Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine.
Between June 1, 2010, and Jan. 14, 2013, Reeder created and used a Facebook account to pose as a female high school student by using the image of a blonde-haired girl with the intent to befriend underage boys. Reeder established inappropriate online relationships with at least 106 underage boys between the ages of 13 and 17 from Servite, Beckman, Northwood, and Canyon High Schools. He targeted the victims whom he knew through teaching or coaching. Reeder engaged in lewd acts with the victims by using the online account of the fake female high school student he created to convince and direct the victims to send sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves to the defendant.
California Penal Code section 288 states that lewd and lascivious acts upon a child is charged when a defendant willfully, lewdly, and unlawfully interacts with a child with the intent of arousing, appealing to, and gratifying the lust, passions, and sexual desires of the defendant and the child.
The Irvine Police Department investigated this case and arrested Reeder on Feb. 9, 2013.
During todays sentencing, the mother of one of the victims delivered an impact statement before the Court and said in part, May the consequences of Zachary Reeder's betrayal of trust, and abuse of power for his own selfish gratification be a strong deterrent to others who may be contemplating similar abuses of power and be confirmation to other silent victims that justice can prevail giving them courage to stand against their abusers.
Several victim impact statement letters were submitted to the Court. Another mother of one of the victims wrote in part, My young son was deceived and no match for the manipulation and intent of the accused. He used his adult influences to attract young, vulnerable boys that respected him for his own sexual enjoyment using social media.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Nicole Nicholson of the Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted this case.
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