Man, 64, admits to ‘catfishing’ girl on Roblox, convincing her to send explicit images

A 64-year-old man from Riverside County has admitted to posing as a 13-year-old boy online and convincing a young girl to send him sexually explicit photos of herself and a young relative.

On Friday, the United States Department of Justice announced that John Mathew Piecuch, 64, of Hemet pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

According to his plea agreement, Piecuch met a 12-year-old girl from Maryland on the online gaming platform Roblox. He told the girl he was a 13-year-old boy and the two began texting one another outside of the online game.

Piecuch gained the girl’s trust and eventually persuaded her to send him sexually explicit images of herself, court documents state.

But he didn’t stop there.

After the victim sent him images of herself, Piecuch convinced her to take sexually explicit photos of her 5-year-old relative, the DOJ said.

The mother of the victim eventually discovered the text messages on her daughter’s mobile devices and contacted law enforcement.

Piecuch was ultimately identified as the man on the other end of the line and he was arrested and taken into federal custody where he’s remained since August 2021.

Piecuch is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 25, and could face anywhere from 15 to 30 years in prison.

United States Attorney Martin Estrada said he expects the Hemet man will receive a “significant prison sentence.”

Estrada added that parents need to remain vigilant and keep tabs on what their children are doing online and who they are talking to.

“Predators lurk in the shadows and use the internet’s cloak of anonymity to inflict lifelong trauma,” Estrada said in a news release.

The case was investigated by the FBI in conjunction with a Sheriff’s Office in the girl’s home state.

Roblox has come under scrutiny due to its massive user-base and concerns of abuse of the platform by child predators.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg posted a deepdive into the gaming company and its ongoing struggle to keep abusers out.

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