Gym teacher in suburban NY forced teen student to send sexual images with threats to expose boys residency secret: DA
A Westchester County gym teacher is accused of forcing a teen student to send him sexually explicit images — and prosecutors believe he may have more young victims.Thomas James Puccini, 28, was busted at the Westchester County Airport on Friday and accused of engaging the male teen over Snapchat and CashApp over two years starting when the victim was 17, threatening to expose confidential information if the teen didn’t comply, prosecutors said.Now, the Westchester District Attorney’s Office is asking other potential victims to come forward.
“Pressuring and threatening people for content that is sexual in nature, also known as ‘sextortion,’ is increasingly directed at our youth and is a crime,” Westchester DA Miriam Rocah said in a statement.“Anyone who may have been victimized or may have information about other possible victims of this defendant should contact the DA’s Office at 914-995-TIPS (8546),” Rocah said.“My Office is on standby to offer support and assistance to victims and families while our investigation continues.” According to a criminal complaint filed Friday, Puccini allegedly threatened to reveal that the boy attended Eastchester schools despite living outside the district, and said he would blow the whistle if the teen did not send him the images he requested.
Prosecutors said the exchanges between the teen and Puccini, an interim athletic director, lasted from November 2021 until November last year.In a letter to parents on Friday, Eastchester Schools Superintendent Ronald Valenti did not address Puccini by name, but said the district’s policy “in such circumstances is to immediately place an employee on administrative leave pending a district investigation.“During such reassignment the employee is not permitted on district property.”School officials declined to comment further on Monday.Puccini was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny for possession of the explicit images and released without bail following ...