Queens Teacher Seeking Sex With Minor Will Get Jail Time

BAYSIDE, QUEENS -- A Queens special education substitute teacher faces jail time for seeking sex with a minor just days before his planned move to South Korea, where he would have taught kindergartners.

Christopher Tselios, 29, of Bayside, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he tried to meet up with an undercover NYPD officer posed as a 14-year-old girl, who he planned to perform oral sex on in exchange for $500 cash, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Tselios was caught in the internet sting after posting a Craigslist ad seeking "fun with a teen high schooler or younger," according to the charges.

“The defendant has admitted to trying to meet an underage teenager for sex and will now go to jail for his actions," Brown said.

Brown said Tselios, who was an NYC Department of Education substitute special education teacher until 2015, arranged the meet-up on July 26, 2016, during the same week he planned to permanently leave the United States to teach kindergarten in South Korea.

According to the charges, an NYPD vice detective responded to Tselios' Craigslist ad on July 26, 2016, as a female minor, telling Tselios he was a 14-year-old girl when he asked "her" age. The two exchanged photos, with the detective sending Tselios a photo of a female undercover officer. Three days later, Tselios suggested they meet up and "fool around," offering the "girl" a $500 incentive, the charges state.

The two agreed to meet at a Forest Hills eatery that night, where the undercover female officer sat waiting until around midnight for Tselios. When he arrived, the two headed toward his park car, where officers arrested him and recovered the $500 cash, Brown said.

Tselios, who was forced to surrender his passport after his arraignment, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted criminal sexual act, attempted disseminating indecent material to minors, attempted patronizing a prostitute and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.

He is currently out of jail on a $50,000 bail until his return to court Feb. 6, where will be sentenced to three months of jail time, Brown said. He will also be ordered to serve ten years' probation and register as a sex offender with the state registry.

Brown said the case is one of many that should serve as a warning for parents to closely monitor their children's internet activities.

“This case underscores the crucial importance of internet surveillance by law enforcement to protect children from sexual predators," he said.

Lead photo via Shutterstock.