Behind the Badge
The suspect preyed on young teenage girls on the Internet for sex and trafficked in child pornography, according to police.
And as an IT specialist, he knows his way around computers.
Following a months-long investigation by the Garden Grove and Cypress Police Departments that led to his arrest last week, Michael Theodore Mordaunt is scheduled to be arraigned July 28 at the West Justice Center in Westminster on multiple felony charges.
Mordaunt appeared in court Monday, but a hearing for him to enter a plea was delayed one week.
Mordaunt, an information technology specialist in Seal Beach, faces more than 27 years in prison if convicted, Garden Grove Police Lt. Ben Stauffer said.
Initially booked at Orange County Jail on suspicion of child annoyance and possession of child pornography, Mordaunt could face more charges from the Orange County DIstrict Attorney’s Office if more victims are discovered. He was released from custody in lieu of $300,000 bail.
Mordaunt was arrested Thursday, July 17 shortly after leaving his house at 6:50 a.m. in the 5900 block of Cathy Avenue in Cypress. Search warrants then were served at Mordaunt’s home and office.
Orange County-based computer forensic analysts from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted with the search warrant service by scanning all electronic devices for evidence of child pornography and the attempts to lure young girls over the Internet for sex, the Garden Grove PD said in a news release.
The Cypress and Garden Grove Police Departments worked with the aid of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force in their investigation of Mordaunt.
“We’d like to thank Cypress PD, the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, including HSI, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for their help in bringing this case to a successful conclusion,”Stauffer said.
The Garden Grove PD is asking anyone who is aware of other possible victims of the suspect to call Investigator Young at 714-741-5836. The Garden Grove PD also encouraged the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through the toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DGS-2-ICE. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children also may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
