Lawrence Joseph Silipigni

Lawrence Joseph Silipigni

LOS ANGELES -- A Massachusetts man is accused of videotaping dozens of young girls engaging in sexual acts and posting the videos online.

41 year old Lawrence Joseph Silipigni will appear in federal court in Los Angeles Thursday.

He is accused of using the identity of a 17 year old boy he met online, "Jamie", to lure young girls into an online relationship. Prosecutors say he convinced the underage girls to perform sexual acts in front of their web cams. He would then record the acts without the girls' knowledge.

Silpigni is also acused of trading the recordings with others in exchange for similar pornographic material.

Authorities in L.A. began investigating Silipigni after a then 14 year old girl reported abuses in 2007.

Silpigni allegedly threatened to notify victims' parents when they refused to continue talking to him after they learned his real age and identity and when they refused to comply with his requests.

Computers seized from his home had hundred of videos of unidentified girls from around the country, officials said.

Silipigni was arrested last month at his home near Boston.