Former Erie County substitute teacher pleads guilty child pornography
[MGN]
BUFFALO N.Y. (WHEC) — A former substitute teacher and coach from Erie County pleaded guilty on Tuesday to receiving and possessing child pornography.
Investigators found more than 600 pornographic images and videos of children on the laptop of 36-year-old Steven Gasiorek of Cheektowaga. He pleaded guilty before a U.S. District Judge and will serve a minimum penalty of five years, a maximum penalty of 40 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Gasiorek taught and coached at John F. Kennedy Middle and High Schools in Cheektowaga. Court records say that Gasiorek pretended to be a teenage girl on Instagram and communicated with numerous boys to receive child pornography.
Authorities have been investigating Gasiorek since March 2014. They uncovered the pornographic images and videos on his laptop in April 2019 after executing a search warrant. The victims that authorities have identified lived in Cheektowaga, NY, Lancaster, NY, Virginia, Texas, and Florida.
The investigation was a joined effort from the FBI, the Cheektowaga Police Department, the West Seneca Police Department, and the Fauquier County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office. The sentencing is scheduled for July 27.