Former Philadelphia high school teacher sentenced to 30 years for child exploitation catfishing scheme
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A former teacher in Lower Merion Township and Philadelphia was sentenced to 30 years in prison for a child exploitation catfishing scheme to entice teen girls, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania said in a release Wednesday afternoon.
Jeremy Schobel, 33, was arrested for child exploitation offenses in June 2023 and was indicted in November 2023, and he pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography and five counts of manufacturing child pornography in March, according to the news release.
The attorney's office said Schobel would pose as different minor girls online, creating fake profiles to trick underage victims into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.
"As a teacher, Jeremy Schobel was tasked with developing young minds," U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in the release. "As a predator, though, he chose to deceive and sexually exploit underage girls online — often from his school classroom. Today's sentence closes the book on Schobel's years of catfishing and gives his victims a measure of justice. Protecting children from abuse will always be a top priority for my office and our partners at the FBI."
Schobel was a former teacher at Harriton High School in Lower Merion Township and the High School of Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The release said the scheme was going on for over three years and often in classrooms at Harriton High.
He is required to register as a sex offender due to Megan's Law in Pennsylvania and will have 20 years of supervised release in addition to the 30 years in prison.
"Mr. Schobel abused his position of public trust to prey on those we expected him to protect," said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, in the release. "The sexual exploitation of children is among the most devious crimes we investigate and today's sentencing serves as a reminder that the FBI and our partners will work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation."