Kentucky religion teacher charged with distributing child sexual abuse materials
A Louisville school teacher was charged with distributing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and distributing child pornography, according to a federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant issued Friday.
In December 2023 and January 2024, Jordan A. Fautz, 39, while employed as a 7th and 8th grade religion teacher at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic School in Louisville, distributed child sexual abuse materials to a law enforcement officer working undercover online, a news release said.
Some materials had been manipulated by morphing or photoshopping original child sexual abuse materials with other, non-explicit images of minors. In one such instance, the nude image of a minor victim depicted her face on a different nude female’s body, effectively generating child sexual abuse material, the release said.
Fautz will be scheduled to make his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
If convicted on the charges in the complaint, Fautz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and maximum potential penalties of 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.
The FBI is investigating the case. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office announced the charges against Fautz.
The FBI Louisville Field Office is trying to identify potential victims of Fautz and is asking people with information to contact them. Responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation in identifying potential victims. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution and rights under federal and state law, a news release said.
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Louisville said Fautz had been a part-time religion teacher and member of the maintenance staff at the St. Stephen Martyr parish for nine years. Fautz will not be returning to St. Stephen Martyr School. The Archdiocese and the parish are fully cooperating with the investigation, the statement said.
Father Peter Bucalo said in a statement the parish will hold a parent meeting at 1 p.m. Saturday. Representatives from the Archdiocese and the FBI will be there.
“Please keep our parish and school in your prayers as we deal with this very distressing situation,” said Bucalo.
House Bill 275 filed Jan. 16 in the General Assembly would bolster disclosure requirements for teachers accused of sexual misconduct, strengthen training requirements and require teachers and other personnel to pass criminal background checks every five years.
A similar bill, HB 288, was filed in the 2023 legislative session. Despite unanimous support in the House and in a Senate Committee, it was not brought to the Senate floor for a vote. There were concerns from teachers about unsubstantiated claims of misconduct being kept in teacher files.
