CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A former substitute teacher and athletic coach at John F. Kennedy Middle School and John F. Kennedy High School in Cheektowaga has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York, Steven Gasiorek, 36, of Cheektowaga, was a substitute teacher and coach at both schools between March 2014 and April 16, 2019. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango says during that timeframe Gasiorek used a fake Instagram account, pretending to be a teenage girl in California, to talk to numerous males who were minors. Using the fake account Gasiorek reportedly received child pornography from the minors.
In addition, Mango says Gasiorek not only knew that the males were minors, but he also served as a teacher and/or coach to some of the victims he received child pornography from.
A laptop and an external hard drive were taken from Gasiorek's residence on April 16, 2019 during the execution of a search warrant. Over 600 images and videos of child pornography were found.
A forensic examination of the images and videos positively identified 29 minor males. The victims reportedly lived in Cheektowaga, Lancaster, Virginia, Texas and Florida.
Gasiorek pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. Gasiorek faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Gasiorek will be sentenced on July 27 before Senior U.S. District Judge Williams M. Skretny.