LI Middle, High School Teacher Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography: Feds

EAST MEADOW, NY — A Long Island teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of child pornography, federal officials said.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ricky J. Patel, special agent in charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York, announced the guilty plea.

On Wednesday, in federal court in Central Islip, Michael Fazio, 40, a music teacher at W.T. Clarke Middle and High School in East Meadow, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury, federal officials said.

When sentenced, Fazio faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, officials added.

"Fazio possessed unthinkable graphic images of child sexual abuse, all while employed in a position of trust as a middle and high school music teacher," Nocella said. "Prosecuting those who victimize children by feeding the market for child pornography will always be a top priority of our Office and our law enforcement partners."

As set forth in court filings and statements, Fazio possessed hundreds of images of child pornography in his Dropbox account and cellphone, federal officials said.

During the execution of a search warrant at his Bellmore residence in April, Fazio admitted that he uploaded three images of child pornography to his Dropbox account in October 2024, officials said.

A search of one of his cellphones revealed more than 700 additional images of child pornography, federal officials said.

Another cellphone belonging to Fazio contained a "hidden pictures" folder, which he used to store adult pornographic images, as well as images and videos of some of Fazio’s students that he surreptitiously recorded during music instruction, authorities said.