Thursday, March 31, 2005
D.A. BROWN: QUEENS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SENTENCED TO JAIL; ATTEMPTED TO DISSEMINATE INDECENT MATERIAL IN EFFORT TO HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH TEENAGE BOY WHO ACTUALLY WAS NYPD UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Queens public high school teacher has been sentenced to jail after admitting that he attempted to disseminate indecent materials to minors in an undercover internet “sting” operation.
According to the District Attorney, the defendant engaged in sexually explicit communications and set up a meeting for sex with an individual who he believed was a 14-year-old boy but who actually was a New York City Police Department detective.
District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant has admitted his guilt, waived his right to appeal and will now be punished for his crime. The case shows again that law enforcement is vigilantly patrolling the internet to protect children from sexual predators and prosecute and punish those who would do harm to 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 pled guilty on February 15, 2005 to Attempted Dissemination of Indecent Material to Minors in the First Degree before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin Brandt who imposed today’s 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 Level II 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 messages and emails 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 his intended victim’s sexual development and asked his intended victim 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.
Assistant District Attorney Robert D. Alexander, Computer Crimes Unit Chief of the District Attorney's Special Proceedings Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Anthony M. Communiello, Bureau Chief, and Oscar W. Ruiz, Deputy Bureau Chief, 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.