Teacher posing as student sends explicit Snapchat photos to middle schooler, feds say
A middle school teacher in New York is accused of posing as a student on Snapchat in order to exchange sexually explicit material with minors, federal officials said.
The teacher, a 37-year-old man from Pittsford, has been arrested, according to an Aug. 9 news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York.
An attorney for the teacher could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News on Aug. 10.
Local police opened an investigation in May after receiving information that a 12-year-old girl had a sexually explicit video on her phone, officials said.
The girl had reportedly obtained the video from her 11-year-old friend, officials said.
Police determined the girls had been contacted through Snapchat by two accounts using separate names, officials said.
After obtaining a warrant, police traced the accounts to the teacher, who taught middle school math in the Spencerport School District, according to the release.
The teacher allegedly pretended to be a high school student in Spencerport and sent sexually explicit videos and photos to the 11-year-old while engaging in explicit conversations with other users who appeared to be minors, officials said. He also allegedly coerced one of the girls into sending him explicit photos.
He has been charged with transfer of obscene material to a minor and production, receipt and possession of child pornography, officials said.
If found guilty, he will face a minimum of 15 years in prison.
“I cannot tell you how upset and angry I am to be sending you this note,” Spencerport Central School District Superintendent Ty Zinkiewich wrote in a letter to the community, adding that the teacher “has been placed on administrative leave and had his access revoked to all district electronic resources and buildings.”
“We are working with investigators to determine whether our students may be involved,” Zinkiewich added, “and we encourage families with students who may have had him as a teacher or advisor to ask about their online activity.”
A spokesperson for Snapchat did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Spencerport is about 70 miles northeast of Buffalo.
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