LAVEEN, AZ — A Laveen man already on probation for a prior child sex crime conviction has been arrested and charged with sexually exploiting a 15-year-old boy, allegedly posing as a teenage girl online to groom the victim into sending explicit images of himself.
Nicholai Alexander Fitzgerald, 32, was arrested July 22 at his home in Laveen. He faces two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation, and one count of unlawful age misrepresentation, all felonies.
Court documents show Fitzgerald was already a registered sex offender on lifetime probation stemming from a 2014 conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor when the alleged offenses occurred.
How investigators say the alleged abuse unfolded
According to a probable cause statement filed in Maricopa County court, the investigation began in October 2025, when a father in Thornton, Colorado, contacted police after discovering messages on his son's phone.
Investigators determined that between Sept 2025 and Oct 2025, Fitzgerald allegedly contacted the 15-year-old victim online, posing as a 14-year-old girl named "Taylor." Court documents say Fitzgerald used a dating website, text messages, and the messaging platform Discord to communicate with the victim.
According to court records, "Taylor" expressed romantic interest in the victim and sent him sexually explicit images while engaging in what investigators described as grooming behavior. The victim, who believed he was communicating with a teenage girl his own age, ultimately sent sexually explicit images of himself to the suspect.
During a forensic interview, the victim said it felt "off" because "Taylor" didn't talk like someone "his age" and that it felt scripted. The victim also noted they never had any face-to-face video or audio communications, with "Taylor" claiming her parents and later her school did not allow it.
Digital evidence tied suspect to victim
Investigators traced the phone number used to contact the victim to a prepaid phone active between March 28, 2025, and Feb. 3, 2026.
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Location data from the device showed it frequently traveled to and from the area of Fitzgerald's home and his workplace in Tolleson. Media files sent from that number were also received at an email address listed on Fitzgerald's sex offender registration and at a second phone number also listed on his registration.
Records obtained from the dating service website confirmed the suspect account was registered with Fitzgerald's date of birth.
Court records say Discord records confirmed the suspect account was registered July 4, 2025, and that the suspect used a virtual private network, or VPN, to mask their identity, a tactic investigators say is commonly used by online offenders.
Search warrant at Laveen home
On July 22, 2026, police executed a search warrant at Fitzgerald's home. Court documents say 10 occupants were contacted during the search — all registered sex offenders with felony sexual offense histories.
Police seized multiple phones during the search.
Among the most significant evidence described in court documents were handwritten notes found in Fitzgerald's bedroom. In those notes, Fitzgerald allegedly wrote about going into chat rooms and pretending to be a girl to gain the "trust" of victims. He wrote that he would look for "low self-esteem girls" because they were "easy."
The notes also included admissions about soliciting explicit photos and acknowledgment that he had done this before. Investigators say the notes referenced pretending to be a "12 y.o. girl" online.
Prior conviction mirrors current case
Court documents reveal that Fitzgerald's 2014 conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor involved a strikingly similar pattern. In that case, Fitzgerald communicated with an undercover detective while posing as an underage female child, ultimately sending multiple files of child sexual abuse material. Search warrants in that investigation uncovered additional material in his possession, and he made several admissions.
Fitzgerald was released from prison Aug. 3, 2024. Court documents confirm he was on lifetime sex offender probation at the time of the alleged offenses in this case.
Maricopa County Adult Probation confirmed that the only phone Fitzgerald was permitted to have under the terms of his probation was a smartphone issued by his employer. The phone tied to this investigation was not that device, suggesting Fitzgerald had electronic devices he had not reported to his probation officer.
Expert: Supervision standards must improve
Beth Goulden, chair of the Arizona Sex Offender Management Board, said cases like this raise serious questions about how sex offenders on probation are being supervised across the state.
"We should be asking questions about how these folks are being supervised," Goulden said.
Goulden spent nearly 25 years at the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department, the majority of that time working in sex crimes management.
"Arizona has 15 counties, which means there's 15 different counties supervising these folks," Goulden said. "We don't have uniform standards and guidelines for supervision and treatment."
Goulden said one of her concerns before leaving Maricopa County Adult Probation was an over-reliance on virtual supervision contacts instead of in-person meetings — particularly for individuals recently released from prison.
"There's nothing like face-to-face supervision, especially when someone is first released from the Department of Corrections, and they're integrating back into the community," Goulden said.
She said the board, which began meeting in October 2025, is working to make recommendations to the legislature and to probation departments to raise supervision standards statewide.
ABC15 reached out to the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department Monday afternoon and will update our story if we learn more.
Goulden also had a message for parents about online safety.
"Playing on a playground is almost safer than your child just being exposed to whatever they could possibly encounter on the internet," Goulden said.
She urged parents to regularly monitor what their children are doing online, including which apps they are using, and to ensure privacy settings prevent strangers from contacting their children.
"Even apps that are perceived as innocent — just watch what your kids are doing online and who they're interacting with," Goulden said.
Goulden also encouraged parents to maintain open communication with their children and to make sure kids feel safe coming forward if something feels wrong online.
"Keep that open communication with your children always, and I think it'll help keep all of our kids safe," Goulden said.
If someone believes they may also be a victim of Fitzgerald, they can call the Scottsdale Police HEAT Unit tip line at 480-312-3456 or email SPDHEATTipline@scottsdaleaz.gov.
You can also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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