Lawyer accused of having sex with minors

An Irvine attorney is in custody and facing charges he had sex with at least two underage girls, then calling one of the girls and trying to convince her to lie to police.

According to prosecutors, the 31-year-old attorney had sex with a 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl in his Irvine home and inside his car while it was parked in a Disneyland lot.

In a statement released by the District Attorney's Office, officials have also found several video recordings of the attorney having sex with unidentified females.

"The girls in the videos are yet to be identified," according to the statement.

Matthew Christopher Tye, 31, was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into Men's Central Jail, according to arrest records. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Tye is believed to have engaged in sexual acts with the minors between May and July 2009.

According to the district attorney's statement, law enforcement officials became aware of the sexual assaults when a 17-year-old victim reported the sexual contact to a family member. The family member then reported the assault to police.

Tye is accused of arranging several meetings in his Irvine home, and one occasion in a Disneyland parking lot.

Tye is also accused of calling the 17-year-old girl and trying to convince her to lie to investigators about the sexual relationship.

Investigators became aware of a second 14-year-old victim while investigating the first incident, according to the statement.

Officials have also found several recordings of Tye having sex, in some instances with girls who appear to be minors.

Prosecutors are asking possible victims to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy Litwin at 714-347-8794.

According to sheriff's records, Tye is scheduled to appear in court Friday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in state prison.

Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361