NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A paraprofessional at a Brooklyn high school was arrested and charged on Wednesday for allegedly requesting and receiving sexually explicit videos of a boy he met over the internet, officials said.
Brian Quinones, 30, a paraprofessional at Midwood High School faces an 11-count indictment including charges of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child of pornography, cyberstalking, and related offenses.
The charges relate to sexually explicit videos of a child that Quinones allegedly requested and received from a boy he met over the Internet, as well as other sexually explicit images and videos that he possessed and distributed.
"As alleged, Quinones was a prolific trader of child pornography who posed as a woman in order to solicit sexually explicit videos from a minor boy, then blackmailed the victim with cruel threats to post the material on the Internet," stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.
According to court filings, Quinones, a Sheepshead Bay resident, used an instant messaging mobile application between September 2019 and January 2020 to trade dozens of videos and images depicting child pornography with another individual who has since been charged with child pornography-related offenses.
"Any kind of sexual exploitation of a minor is absolutely detestable behavior," said NYPD Commissioner Sewell. "But when the suspect has also been entrusted with our communities' children, it is especially disturbing. Decades ago, predators would go to a playground or a park to find young victims. Now, there's an entire virtual world full of potential targets."
Following a court-authorized search of Quinones's residence and the seizure of his electronic devices, FBI Special Agents discovered a series of sexually explicit messages between Quinones, who was impersonating a woman, and a minor male victim known as John Doe, who Quinones lured into creating and sending sexually explicit videos, officials said.
Quinones then threatened to post the victim's material on the Internet unless the victim agreed to make additional sexually explicit content, authorities said.
In a WhatsApp message, Quinones said "I got everything you sent," adding that he would "ruin" John Doe. Quinones then directed John Doe to do "[e]verything I tell u to do" and to "behave." He then wrote, "Get on your hands and knees." When John Doe declined to do so, Quinones threatened, "I'm ready to make u famous[.] Any last words?'
If convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, Quinones faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years' imprisonment.
