St. Augustine teacher charged with trying to entice minor for sexual activity
A private school teacher in St. Augustine is facing charges after asking an FBI agent posing as a teen to engage in sexual activity, according to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Matthew Christopher Yates, 27, of Hastings, is charged with using the internet to try to entice a 14-year-old to engage in sexual activity.
He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years in prison and could receive up to life in federal prison if convicted, according to the release. He also faces a potential life term of supervised release, the release stated.
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At the time of his arrest on March 11, he was an eighth-grade teacher at Veritas Classical School in St. Augustine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida. He is no longer listed on the school's website.
The FBI handled the investigation. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, court documents show that on Feb. 11, an undercover FBI agent posing online as a 14-year-old responded to an "online notice" posted on a social media app by the user "English teacher."
The FBI later identified the user as Yates, documents show.
"During the online conversation, the 'child' advised that she was 14 years old and in the eighth grade, and Yates stated that he was a teacher and suggested that they 'should meet up' at the beach," according to documents. "The online conversation continued on another social media platform and Yates (using the name 'prof0987') and the 'child' exchanged photos of each other.
"Between Feb. 22 and March 11, Yates and the 'child' exchanged numerous text messages and Yates sent several photos that were either sexually suggestive or sexually explicit, including one that purportedly depicted Yates’ penis," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. "On March 6, Yates texted the 'child,' using explicit language, suggesting that they meet.
"On March 8, Yates asked the 'child' to meet in person on March 11, to engage in sexual activity," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Yates provided the undercover agent with details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the 'child.' On March 10, Yates and the 'child' confirmed plans to meet, and Yates asked the 'child' if 'she' wanted to record their planned sexual activity on video. On the afternoon of March 11, Yates drove his vehicle to a prearranged location in Jacksonville to meet the 'child' for sex and was arrested by FBI agents. Upon searching Yates, agents found him to be in possession of several condoms."
The arrest is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For information about Project Safe Childhood visit usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety, click on the "resources" tab.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Florida teacher planned to meet FBI agent posing as teen, officials say
