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Irvine CEO Accused Of Trading Sex Videos With Boys In Virginia

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — An Irvine executive faces sexual assault and child pornography charges in the exchange of sex videos with two boys in Virginia, authorities said.

Orange County prosecutors say Qayed Murtaza Shareef, 39, contacted underage brothers — 10-year-old John Doe #1 and 9-year-old John Doe #2 — using an online application called Tango on multiple occasions between Dec. 25, 2013, and Dec. 29, 2013.

Shareef of Aliso Viejo is accused of having sexually explicit conversations with the boys through the Tango application and then convincing and directing the victims, who live in Virginia, to commit sex acts with each other and to record photos and videos of the sex acts using their tablet computer, Orange County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said.

Shareef has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the dates in question, Shareef, who has a LinkedIn account identifying himself as the CEO of Irvine-based Adaptive Media Inc., directed the victims to send the photos and videos of themselves to his Tango account, Fyad said.

He is also accused of recording sex acts performed on himself and sending it to the victims along with adult pornography, according to prosecutors.

While there was no apparent physical contact between Shareef and the boys, prosecutors pointed a state penal code section that states "lewd and lascivious acts upon a child is committed when a defendant willfully causes a child to touch the child's own body or the body of another with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, and sexual desires of the defendant or the child."

The mother of one of the boys discovered the videos Dec. 30, 2013, on the child's tablet device and reported the crime to her local law enforcement agency in Virginia, Fyad said.

Shareef was arrested Jan. 21 at his residence by members of the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force and officers from other law enforcement agencies.

He was charged with 30 felony counts of lewd acts with a child under 14, one felony count of using a minor for sex acts, one felony count of distributing pornography to a minor, one felony count of possession or control of child pornography, with a sentencing enhancement for substantial sexual conduct with a child under 14 years old and committing lewd acts upon multiple victims.

If convicted, Shareef faces a maximum sentence of 752 years to life in state prison. He is being held on $2 million bail.

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