A former teacher and associate principal at two New York City schools pleaded guilty to possessing child porn and enticing kids to send him explicit photos and videos, prosecutors said.
Jonathan Skolnick — who worked as a high school teacher in Brooklyn from Aug. 2012 until June 2018, and as an associate principal at a Bronx middle school from July 2018 until Sept. 2019 — pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count each of child enticement and possession of child pornography.
Over the course of his seven years working as an educator, Skolnick coerced and induced children to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves over the internet, according to court documents, which he allegedly kept in his possession.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called Skolnick's actions "reprehensible" and said that he used his positions at the schools in order to access his young victims.
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"No parent should ever need to worry about the safety of their children from child predators when sending them off to school; I commend our law enforcement partners for their efforts in bringing Skolnick’s career as an educator to an end," said Williams.
The 39-year-old Skolnick faces a minimum of 20 years in prison for the crimes, and could get up to life behind bars.
