NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Brooklyn high school teacher was found guilty of producing child pornography following a week-long trial, officials announced Tuesday.
The 38-year-old, Jonathan Deutsch, was a teacher at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Sheepshead Bay.
According to court documents, Deutsch would join Facebook groups and find users who looked to be minors from their profiles. Under two different Facebook accounts, Deutsch messaged children to try to develop relationships with them.
On one account, Deutsch posed as a 33-year-old teacher from New York but on the other, he identified himself as a 15-year-old boy. Through the accounts, Deutsch would shower the kids with compliments and pretend to be their boyfriend, authorities said.
Deutsch convinced the kids to engage in sexually explicit behavior and send him videos and photos of it while also sending the victims sexual pictures he pretended were him, officials said.
In total, Deutsch requested and received sexually explicit images or videos from at least four children, ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old.
“Jonathan Deutsch connected with young children over the Internet and exploited them for his own sexual gratification. His conduct is criminal and deplorable,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This Office is committed to vigorously prosecuting individuals who sexually exploit children and to ensuring that they are brought to justice. Today’s conviction should serve as yet another reminder as to the importance of educating our children about the risks of communicating with strangers online.”
At his trial, law enforcement witnesses who examined Deutsch’s computer testified as well as three of the children Deutsch exploited. Evidence included Deutsch’s browser history and Facebook records which included his messenger communications with victims and potential victims, as well his account information.
“The trust between teachers and young students is vitally important, and violation of that trust by criminal predators is truly reprehensible,” stated NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “This defendant’s appalling actions are a reminder to all parents to closely monitor their child’s online activity, and today’s conviction further proves that the NYPD and our law-enforcement partners will never abate our efforts to keep young people safe. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, the New York Field Office of the FBI, and every investigator who worked on this important case.”
Deutsch was found guilty on four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and 6 counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. He faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.
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