Qayed Murtaza Shareef, 39, a CEO of an Irvine tech company Adaptive Media, is facing 33 felonies, including more than two dozen counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor. He also faces charges of possession of child pornography and sending harmful matter to a minor with the intent of seduction. Investigators say they’re looking for other possible victims.

Shareef is suspected of using a social messaging application to convince two young boys to trade explicit photos and video with him. Prosecutors alleged he pretended to be a teenage boy named Jeremy Stevens to contact a 9- and 10-year-old boy in Virginia.Authorities say the 39-year-old gave instructions to the boys to record each other and to him send the photos and videos.

The alleged interaction occurred between Christmas day and December 29, 2013. His arrest this week came after a year of investigation. Prosecutors alleged Shareef also recorded sex acts he performed on himself and sent video of that to the boys. Authorities admit there is no indication Shareef had physical contact with the boys. However, under California law, a lewd or lascivious act can occur if someone willfully causes a child to touch their body or another child’s body in an effort to arouse someone’s sexual desires.

Shareef pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is being held on $2 million bail. If convicted, Shareef faces up to 752 years to life in state prison. Shareef is married, has a child and lives in Aliso Viejo.

Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Shareef likely had more knowledge on how to evade law enforcement because he “has an expertise in computers and IP addresses and Internet.”

Shareef, who has pleaded not guilty, is expected to return to court on March 27. He is being held on $2 million bail.

Charges of criminal conduct should be taken seriously, and traversed with the help of experienced criminal defense attorneys. If you or a loved one has been charged with criminal conduct, contact the experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorneys at Brower & Associates.