PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A former Philadelphia teacher will spend the next four decades in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography offenses, admitting to catfishing teenage boys on social media.
Andrew Wolf, a former eighth grade math teacher and baseball coach at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, learned of his 38 years and 10 months in prison on Friday, following his guilty plea to seven counts of manufacturing child porn and one count of conspiracy this summer.
Prosecutors say Wolf, 42, and Kray Strange, 20 of Carthage, New York, impersonated teenage girls on Snapchat and coaxed the boys to perform sexual acts and send pictures of them.
"I think the sentence was very fair and well-earned by the defendant who deserves every day of the 39 years that he received," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Harrell.
Harrell said this is a parent's worst nightmare, and it forces a lifetime of trauma on victims.
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"Every kid reacts differently. Some have tremendous, in my opinion, misplaced guilt themselves and really take on a lot of shame that sometimes manifests itself in self-harm," she said.
Harrell said Wolf lied to the FBI when he was arrested and pointed to Strange as the mastermind throughout his trial. During his sentencing hearing, he said it was because he was lonely during the pandemic.
Wolf has to pay a $50,000 fine and will need to register as a sex offender after his release.
Federal officials say they don’t know if there are any other victims out there, but urge anyone who may have been to call authorities.