A former male nurse at the Mendocino County jail pretended to be a woman on the internet and convinced his victims, which included minors, that his female persona would meet them only if they had sex with him, who his female persona introduced as her male friend, according to prosecutors.

Blake Dylan Bradley Cox, 28, of Ukiah pleaded no contest Friday in Mendocino County Superior Court to six felony counts, including two charges of lewd acts on a child and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized invasion of privacy.

Prior to his agreement with the prosecution, he’d been charged Oct. 29 with 25 counts related to sexual child abuse. The vast majority of the charges, including five involved in Friday’s plea deal, pertained to one juvenile, according to the criminal complaint.

Cox is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25 before Judge Keith Faulder.

His defense attorney, Justin Petersen, said Monday that his client faces 364 days in jail plus two years of probation as per the terms of his plea deal with prosecutors.

Petersen declined to comment on the sex abuse charges.

Friday, Cox also pleaded no contest to two felony counts of illegal gun possession in a separate weapons case that preceded the sex case.

In that weapons case, prosecutors said a large cache of firearms had been found inside Cox’s home.

Petersen told The Press Democrat Cox legally purchased the guns while living in Indiana and they were in their original conditions.

“He did not understand how different California gun laws are from other state gun laws,” Petersen said. “He brought them here without thinking California laws would be so different.”

Prosecutors said Cox was, at one time, lead nurse at the Mendocino County jail in Ukiah.

But earlier this year, in May, in the midst of court proceedings in the weapons case, the California Board of Registered Nursing suspended his nursing license.

In March, during the Ukiah police investigation into the guns, investigators confiscated Cox’s cellphone and found “overwhelming evidence of sex-related crimes,” the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said in a Facebook post announcing Friday’s conviction.

According to Ukiah police, the gun investigation began in March after a report of a kidnapping and domestic violence incident involving Cox.

Investigators arrested Cox and confiscated nearly 40 firearms from his home, including 12 illegal assault weapons, Ukiah police reported April 4.

Investigators, who searched Cox’s phone, found images of child pornography and footage of a child caught from a hidden camera, prosecutors said.

Officials also concluded Cox had been “catfishing,” or using a fake identity to scam victims online via social media and dating sites.

That activity, according to his criminal complaint, began in May 2023, resulting in about two dozen sex-related charges against two juveniles.

According to prosecutors, Cox befriended his victims online under the name “Jessica.” They contended he coerced them into believing a romantic relationship was developing after sending them nude photos of a woman who he claimed to be.

“Jessica” told victims she would only meet them and have sex with them after they performed a sex act on “her friend,” Cox, in the back of a vehicle and provide photos of the act, prosecutors said.

“The pixs (sic) were supposedly forwarded to Jessica by ‘her friend’ so she would know who to expect and be turned on in advance by her adventurous new online suitor,” prosecutors said in the Facebook post. “If the victim fell for the scam, Jessica promised to share with the victim her parents’ address after-the-fact so the victim could hook up with her while her parents were away.”