RIVERSIDE, California
A federal grand jury on Wednesday returned an indictment charging a Hemet man with sexual exploitation offenses alleging he convinced a preteen girl to send him sexually explicit photos of herself and a younger relative.
John Mathew Piecuch, 61, was named in a three-count indictment that charges him with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, production of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography.
Piecuch posed as a 13-year-old boy on an online gaming platform, where he met a 12-year-old girl in late 2020, according to court documents.
After moving their conversation to a text message system, Piecuch requested sexually explicit photos from the girl, who also sent sexually explicit photos of a 5-year-old relative, according to a criminal complaint filed earlier this month.
The mother of the 12-year-old girl saw some of the text messages between her daughter and Piecuch on one of the girl’s mobile devices, which prompted her to contact authorities, the complaint states.
Special agents with the FBI arrested Piecuch on August 4. If convicted of the charges, Piecuch is facing up to life in prison. Piecuch is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.