A man who most recently worked as a math teacher at a public middle school in Manhattan has been arrested and charged with two counts of possession of child pornography after authorities caught him with at least 1,000 images or videos of child pornography, including a male toddler and pre-pubescent boys being raped and exploited in other ways by adult men.
The teacher, identified as 41-year-old Ross Lanvin, most recently taught math at MS 256 Lafayette Academy on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, sources told the New York Post. He was employed by the New York City Department of Education from about 2006 through 2013, and again in 2016, according to a complaint filed against him by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
“As alleged, Ross Lanvin, who had close contact with students as a teacher at a public school in Manhattan, possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. Together with our partners at the NYPD and Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigations for the NYC School District, we will continue to work to root out those who possess child pornography, especially when those individuals work in positions that give them access to children—some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said in a statement.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
“Our investigation into Lanvin is ongoing, and we encourage anyone with information to contact Wendy Olsen-Clancy, the Victim Witness Coordinator at the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York.”
Lanvin has been in possession of child pornography from at least September 2021 through December 2024 which he kept hidden in a Google Drive account under an alias, according to the complaint against him.
“The files include images and videos of nude children, ranging from approximately 3- to 4-year-old children, on the one hand, to pre-pubescent children, on the other hand. The vast majority of the files appear to be child pornography,” Caitlin Steele, a task force officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations wrote.
Lanvin’s cache of child pornography was first flagged by Google staff who terminated access to his account on Dec. 20, 2024, after they suspected he was stockpiling child pornography. Google then alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and shared approximately 150 images and 90 videos with apparent or unconfirmed child pornography or otherwise suspected sexually explicit material.
“Based on my review of records Google produced pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant (the ‘Google Warrant’), I know that the vast majority, if not all, of the images and videos in the Subject Google Account’s Google Drive are images and videos of nude children, including child pornography,” noted Steele, who shared graphic descriptions of what she saw. “I know based on my review of the records produced pursuant to the Google Warrant that the Subject Google Account contained at least approximately 1,000 images or videos of child pornography.”
Despite using a “burner” account to stash his child pornography, Steele said she was able to track and identify Lanvin through phone records and cookie data that links various emails to the teacher, including his work email.
“He was employed by the New York City Department of Education (the ‘DOE’) from in or about 2006 through in or about 2013 and again beginning in or about 2016. The NCMEC referrals indicate that, on or about May 10, 2024, the Subject Google Account was accessed from an IP address that Google reported as associated with the DOE,” Steele explained.
“The Subject Google Account has been used to search for lesson plans and other teaching resources, as well as for pornography using search terms such as ‘young’ or ‘teen boys.’ For instance, on or about September 16, 2021, the day that the child pornography was uploaded to the Subject Google Account’s Google Drive, the Subject Google Account was used to search for videos involving ‘gay teen boys’ and also accessed the website academyforteachers.org,” the investigator added.
Steele said she participated in a search of Lanvin’s apartment on Feb. 13 and found at least four videos on a tablet belonging to Lanvin showing boys as young as 6 being sexually abused.
“After waving his Miranda rights and signing a written Miranda consent form, Lanvin voluntarily spoke to law enforcement. During this interview, he confirmed that the 8499 Number and one of the “rlanvin” emails were his. Lanvin also admitted that the Subject Google Account was his and that he had access to it as recently as approximately two months ago, at which point he was blocked from accessing it,” Steele wrote. “Finally, Lanvin acknowledged that he had previously accessed child pornography on electronic platforms.”
Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
