Wednesday, February 16, 2005
D.A. BROWN: QUEENS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY IN INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY CASE AND ADMITS ATTEMPTING TO DISSEMINATE INDECENT MATERIAL IN EFFORT TO HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH TEENAGE BOY WHO ACTUALLY WAS NYPD UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE; FACES JAIL TERM
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a public high school teacher from Queens has pled guilty in an internet pornography case and admitted to attempted dissemination of indecent material to minors in an undercover internet “sting” operation for engaging in sexually explicit communications and setting up meeting for sex with an individual he believed was a 14-year-old boy but who actually was a New York City Police Department detective.
According to the District Attorney, the defendant faces a sentence of six months in jail and five years probation and loss of his teacher’s license.
District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant has admitted his guilt, waived his right to appeal and acknowledged that he attempted to disseminate indecent material to a minor who he believed was a 14-year-old boy but who actually was an undercover detective and to have arranged to meet to engage in sex. The case shows that law enforcement is vigilantly patrolling the internet to protect children from sexual predators and should also serve as a clear and unmistakable warning to those who would seek to steal the innocence of children that law enforcement is alert and prepared to apprehend, prosecute and punish them.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Anthony Laufgraben, 34, of 69-28 Springfield Boulevard in Fresh Meadows, Queens, a social studies teacher at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside. The defendant yesterday pled guilty to Attempted Dissemination of Indecent Material to Minors in the First Degree before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin-Brandt who indicated that on March 9, 2005 she would impose a sentence of six months in jail and five years probation. Additionally, the defendant has agreed to enroll in a sex offender treatment program, surrender his teaching license, not engage in a profession which places him in direct contact with children and register as a sex offender.
District Attorney Brown said that according to the criminal court complaint the defendant between May 18, 2004 and June 18, 2004 repeatedly communicated with the detective -- who was posing as a 14-year-old boy -- via America Online instant message with the screen name of “TONYNYR94.” The defendant admitted that he transmitted a digital camera photo of himself that was e-mailed, asked several questions relating to the screen name’s sexual development and asked the screen name if he wanted to sexually experiment with him. The defendant additionally supplied the detective with a password to gain access to visit a commercial website to view video clips of gay sex. The defendant thereafter arranged to meet at a Queens Boulevard restaurant near Forest Park in Kew Gardens which he had mentioned as a good place to have a sexual encounter.
The investigation was conducted by Detective Michael Smith of the New York City Police Department’s Computer Crimes Squad under the supervision of Lieutenant John Otero and Sergeant Kevin Kelly and the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives George F. Brown. Detective John Kenna of the District Attorney’s Detective Bureau assisted in the investigation under the supervision of Lieutenant Robert Burke and the overall supervision of Chief Lawrence P. Festa and Deputy Chief Albert D. Velardi.
The case is being prosecuted by
Assistant District Attorney Robert D. Alexander, Unit Chief, Computer Crimes
Unit, of the District Attorney's Special Proceedings Bureau under the
supervision of Assistant District Attorney Anthony M. Communiello, Bureau Chief,
and Oscar W. Ruiz, Deputy Bureau Chief, Special Proceedings Bureau, and the
overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations
Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for
Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.