A former male nanny from California was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday for creating child pornographic content with the children under his care.

Travis Elconin, the 35-year-old man from Burbank, filmed children, around eight to nine years old, between August 2016 and November 2018. The former nanny had used his iPhone 8 to film sexually explicit videos of the children. He admitted to producing pornographic content with four children he used to babysit. Authorities, however, said there were a total of eight victims.

Elconin had convinced numerous families and friends to hire him as a caretaker and then used his position as a nanny to exploit and sexually abuse their children. He had also advertised his nanny services online on various websites.

“I know how important it is as a parent to know that your children are safe when you’re not around. That would be my top priority,” one of the ads read.

According to a press release from U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, the federal authorities first became aware of Elconin’s activities in November 2018, when German law enforcement officials contacted the FBI regarding the accused, who had exchanged more than 10,000 messages with suspected child sex abusers in Germany. The messages were sent through the dark web and encrypted chatting programs. The matter was then investigated by the FBI.

On March 18, Elconin pleaded guilty to a two-count criminal information charging him with production of child pornography.

His attorney, Jonathan Lynn, said in a statement: “Travis Elconin took responsibility for his conduct. He pleaded guilty and apologized to his victims. He understands he has a problem and wishes to receive any treatment that is available while he serves his sentence.”

He was sentenced by United States District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr., on Monday. He will be under supervised release for the rest of his life after he completes 360 months in federal prison.

Handcuffed prisoner
A representative image of a prisoner in handcuffs. Getty Images