FBI Continues Investigation Into Brooklyn Teacher's Aide Accused Of Making Porn In School
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Four FBI agents arrived at P.S. 243 in Crown Heights on Wednesday to continue their investigation into a teacher's aide who is accused of making pornographic child videos on school grounds.
Court documents identify the suspect as 40-year-old Taleek Brooks, although CBS 2's Tony Aiello reported he went by Tyleek Brooks.
EXTRA: Read The Full Complaint (pdf)
The agents were interviewing teachers and trying to determine if the videos they've uncovered were shot in the classrooms there. They are also trying to identify the young victims seen in the videos.
1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reports
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Brooks had been a teacher's aide for the past 18 years. A judge revoked his bail on Tuesday after the FBI said they found evidence on his computer in his home.
Prosecutors said evidence included videos of Brooks allegedly spanking one naked child and fondling another in a classroom. Investigators believe the videos were shot sometime between January 2008 and January 2011.
Former students are stunned.
"I can't really describe it," said Donavan Brouet. "I'm just really shocked by it."
Brouet and his brother were part of the all-boys dance group Brooks headed up at the school. When the news broke Tuesday that federal agents uncovered videos of Brooks allegedly sexually abusing children inside a classroom, their grandmother asked immediately if they had been victimized.
"I said 'Mr. Brooks never touched you?' They said 'No ma'am, he never did anything to us," said Genofa Brouet. " I said 'he never touched you even though he's been second accused?' They said 'no.'"
Brooks was a popular teacher's aide who coached basketball and supervised after school activities. The criminal complaints says FBI agents discovered Brooks' activity by catching him sharing child porn online.
Brooks was initially arrested in mid-January. Investigators searched his home and confiscated his computer and two external hard drives. Once agents did a forensic exam of the computer, they say they found videos of him allegedly sexually abusing children.
School officials said Brooks had no prior criminal history and passed all background checks before he was hired.
"This guy slipped through the cracks," said Tony Herbert of Advocates Without Borders. "There was no issues with him in the past, the kids really liked him. But again, there was a lot of trust to turn around and have this happen. There's something wrong with the vetting process."
School Chancellor Dennis Walcott defended the city's hiring practices.
"We have 135,000 employees. So with this particular person, there was not a prior indication of any type of child pornography. If we had heard about that he would've been out of the system right away," Walcott told CBS 2's Jessica Schneider.
Brooks faces a minimum of 15 years if convicted. He is currently in jail, held without bond.
The Department of Education has also suspended him without pay.
Anyone with information should call the FBI at 212-384-2700.
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