A teacher from Brooklyn used fake profiles to target LGBTQ children on Facebook and solicit sexually explicit photos and videos, according to federal prosecutors in New York.
Jonathan Deutsch, 39, a high school teacher at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, was sentenced on March 30 to 20 years in prison on charges related to the production of child pornography, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Deutsch used multiple Facebook accounts in 2016 and 2017 and joined Facebook groups frequently used by LGBTQ young people, the release says. In one of his profiles, he posed as a 33-year-old teacher from New York, according to officials, and in another he posed as a 14-year-old boy.
Deutsch targeted children “who were struggling with their sexuality and gender identity” and messaged them directly to “develop relationships with them,” the release says.
“When chatting with children, the defendant flattered them to gain their trust, and he offered support, comfort and affirmation when they expressed sadness, insecurity or pain,” the release says. “Then, Deutsch engaged the children in hyper-sexual conversation and enticed them to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that he could get videos and photos of that conduct.”
He sent the children sexually explicit photos that he said were of himself and requested similar images and videos from them, the release says. He received these types of images from at least four children between the ages of 10 and 16 years old, according to prosecutors.
Deutsch’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment from News.
The New York City Department of Education, which employed Deutsch, and Meta, the company that owns Facebook, did not respond to requests for comment.
According to a study by the University of Pittsburgh, “sexual minority youth,” including gay, lesbian and bisexual youth, were more likely to experience sexual abuse than their peers.
Adolescents who were part of a sexual minority were 2.9 times more likely to report childhood sexual abuse, according to the study. The rate was even higher for males belonging to a sexual minority. This group was 4.9 times more likely to experience childhood sexual abuse when compared with heterosexual males, the study says.
“The treatment of sexual minority youths in various systems … needs to be improved as it has been shown that more supportive environments are associated with less abuse of these youth populations,” the study says.
Researchers suggested that policies should be implemented to protect gay, lesbian and bisexual youths, and personnel should be trained to empower children of all sexual identities to “intervene” on their behalf.
Authorities said that Deutsch violated the “sacred trust” between teachers and students.
“Today’s sentencing sends an unequivocal message that the NYPD and our law enforcement partners will never tolerate the appalling acts of such criminal predators,” New York City Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a statement.
Deutsch was sentenced on “four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and six counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor,” the release says.
If you are struggling or thinking of harming yourself, you can reach out to a counselor with the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people. Text ‘START’ to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386.