Sunnyvale Man Accused of Tricking Girls Into Sexting Photos

A Sunnyvale man is accused of posing as the father of several teen girls in order to see them in provocative sexual pictures.

Scott Angelo, 29, was arrested on suspicion of tricking teen girls into sexting him photos.

The victims were initially contacted by Angelo, who claimed to be a relative, said Ryan Kennedy of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.

NBC Bay Area obtained a photo of one of the alleged texts Angelo sent while trying to trick the victims into believing they were talking to their own fathers.

"Hi it's Dad. This is my new number..." the text said. "One of my co worker's daughter has her own swimwear line. She wanted me to ask you if you would be interested in helping her promote her stuff."

Deputies said  Angelo would then give another number where he would solicit provocative photos from the teens.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office has identified at least five victims in the area, and at least one victim in Maryland and Indiana. Deputies said there may be more victims.

"We think that due to the manner in which he had contacted very indiscriminately, he's not linked to any of them, and the multitude of pictures we have found," Kennedy said.

Deputies said more than 50 sexually explicit photos have been recovered. It's still unclear how Angelo picked his alleged victims or found them, but it is believed social media likely played a role, officials said.

In 2006, Angelo was convicted of unlawful sex with a minor and oral sex with a minor. He was sentenced to six months in prison for the sex crimes.

NBC Bay Area attempted to interview Angelo, who is out on bond, at his Sunnyvale home on Friday. He declined to comment.

Neighbors who have seen Angelo around are in shock.

"Obviously that's gross," said Corey Williamson, a neighbor. "It's not something you would think would happen in this area."

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