NYC public school teacher facing child pornography charges

A New York City public school teacher was arrested Friday on child pornography charges.

Jon Cruz, 32, was taken into custody Friday morning, law enforcement officials said.

Cruz, a teacher at Bronx High School for Science, was charged with three counts involving receiving, possessing and producing child pornography and faces up to decades in prison if convicted.

Law enforcement officials said Cruz engaged in communication with teenagers via a mobile chat application.

In one case, they allege Cruz paid a 15-year-old male over $500 to take explicit photographs of himself and submit them to Cruz.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the charges ‘disturbing’, noting that Cruz was “involved in child pornography while he was working with children every day.”

FBI New York assistant director-in-charge Diego Rodriguez said “it takes a special depravity to produce child pornography.”

“Our youth deserve our unwavering commitment to their security, particularly from a teacher at their school,” Rodriguez said.