PASADENA — A 34-year-old Monrovia who used the Internet to lure and molest teenage girls pleaded guilty Thursday to 20 counts of child molestation.
Gregory Serrano, 34, of Monrovia is due back in Pasadena Superior Court on July 6, when he is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison, officials said.
Serrano now awaits trial on 23 federal charges including production, possession and receipt of child pornography, using the Internet to entice minors to produce child pornography and meet for sex and destruction of evidence.
“Upon initiating communication via the Internet, Serrano would phone and text message his victims and, ultimately, set up sexual encounters at his residence,” Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Shiara Dvila-Morales said in a written statement.
The charges Serrano pled guilty to Thursday stemmed from crimes against three girls between 14 and 17 years old, Dvila-Morales said. He told the victims he was between 16 and 19 years old.
Serrano pleaded guilty to all counts as charged, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
He was jailed on March 12 of last year at his home after a 15-year-old girl told her parents Serrano had molested her, officials said.
United States Attorney Joey Blanch, who is prosecuting the federal case against Serrano, said he used social networking Web sites such as MySpace.com and Netlog.com to meet the underage girls.
Federally, Serrano is accused of crimes involving 10 underage girls throughout the state and even out-of-state that date back to 2006, she added.
Blanch said because officials have found evidence of interactions with apparently underage girls who have not been identified on Serrano’s computer, there may be more victims who have not come forward.
In addition to the sex crimes, the federal indictment also alleges that Serrano tried to have family members get rid of incriminating evidence for him.
Following his arrest, Serrano allegedly asked family members to retrieve and hide a CD hidden inside an inline skate in his basement, according to U.S. Department of Justice officials. FBI agents got hold of the CD and determined it contained
Though Serrano was indicted in May of last year, the federal proceedings are yet to begin, U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek said.
“He is yet to make a court appearance in our federal case,” he said. “We’ll proceed with our case following the conclusion of the state case.”
A production of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, Blanch said.
If convicted on all federal charges, she said, Serrano could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
This dude was acually a friend of the family, he helped us out with our finaces, we known him for almost 20 years and to find out about his true self is truly a shock and disgusting, I wonder if the girls were willing to be with him, then why did he rape them? I wish I knew the whole story, I read he molested a 13 year old! I do remember the news saying that he was putting a date rape drug in there drinks, why couldnt he just get girls that are 18 and over and be with them on there will? omg im so grossed out you sick pervert!
I went to a private christian school with this guy. I was there at his mothers funeral, that god she is not here to see what horrible crimes her son has commited. Whats even more disturbing our fellow classmate Summer Jacobsen dated Greg. She was a single mom with a daughter at the time. Sick! Who knows if he did anything to Sadie. He was weird from a young age, but never would I think he was capable of such disgusting acts like this. They need to lock him up forever.