New York City teacher's aide charged with making child porn in school
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New York City teacher's aide was accused Tuesday of making videos of himself spanking one naked child and fondling another in an elementary school classroom.
Taleek Brooks, who was first charged last month in the federal child pornography case, was re-arrested Monday night after the FBI said it had discovered additional evidence on his computer.
Brooks was to make an appearance Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn. There was no immediate response to a message left with his attorney.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After learning about the charges, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott met Tuesday with staff and the PTA president at the Weeksville School in Brooklyn. Brooks had worked there in 2001 before being suspended last month following his first arrest.
"As chancellor, and as a father, I am horrified and disgusted at the charges we learned of today from the FBI," Walcott said in a statement after the meeting. "Our paramount concern is for the safety of our students, and we are cooperating fully with the federal authorities as they continue their investigation."
According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, an examination of a computer seized from Brooks uncovered a trove of self-produced child porn.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The videos included two taken in a school classroom, one of Brooks touching a child's genitals and another of him spanking a naked child, the complaint says.
Investigators believe they were shot sometime between January 2008 and January 2011. It isn't clear whether the children attended Weeksville.
A previous complaint had accused Brooks of sending pornographic photos and videos of children to an undercover agent he met online. The complaint says one of the images was of a man having sex with a boy who appeared to be about 10.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following the exchange, FBI agents searched Brooks' home in Brooklyn on Jan. 13. The complaint alleges that during the search, Brooks "admitted that he had been downloading and sharing child pornography for approximately seven years." He also "indicated that he had collected and saved over 1,000 digital files on his computer containing child pornography," the complaint adds.
The defendant had been free on $100,000 bond.