A 32-year-old teacher at the Bronx High School of Science has been accused of paying underaged teen boys to send him nude photos, according to reports. He was arrested yesterday and has been slapped with a slew of child pornography charges.
According to a criminal complaint, starting in August 2014, and ending around February Jon Cruz used a messaging app to pose as a teenager and offer two 15-year-olds in New Mexico and one 14-year-old in upstate New York gift cards in exchange for photos showing them naked. FBI agents were able to trace him through his IP addresses, and showed up at his Upper East Side home yesterday morning; Cruz allegedly admitted to soliciting nude and non-nude photos from a number of minors, with photos including close ups of the teens' genitals or ones with them posing in suggestive positions.
The complaint says Cruz told one minor he was a 15 to 16-year-old who "had a thing for jocks." He allegedly told another he attended The Dalton School and asked him to send him "cocky shirtless mirror shots." The FBI says they also found nude photographs of underage boys on a computer at Cruz's home.
The Department of Education says Cruz, who taught an AP government class and led the debate team, had been at Bronx Science since 2006. "These allegations are deeply disturbing and saddening," the DOE told CBS 2 in a statement. "This teacher has been removed from the classroom and will not be in contact with any students. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement on their investigation."
Cruz has been charged with producing, receiving and possessing child pornography. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
