Mark Verity, a 37‑year‑old music teacher at Wading River Elementary School on Long Island, is now under police investigation after a sting operation by the advocacy group Predator Poachers.
The group set up a fake 13‑year‑old account and tracked Verity’s real phone number using AI, then confronted him outside the school on Wednesday afternoon.
During the confrontation, which was livestreamed by the group, Verity admitted in front of an audience that he had tried to contact the decoy “teenager,” asking for nude photos and allegedly teaching her how to masturbate.
He also claimed he wanted to meet the child in person, describing sexual positions and saying he would use an “experience” to “take her virginity.” Verity was visible on the livestream as he was about to meet a prospective teenager, which raised alarm among the organizers.
The video shows Verity clearing his throat, standing to‑face a small crowd of volunteers from Predator Poachers, and then confessing that he had sent a photo of himself to the decoy account and had been using the file‑search tool the group set up to identify his phone number.
While he tried to explain that the decoy was, in fact, a 29‑year‑old volunteer who had posed as a minor, he made no attempt to adjust his story.
He later admitted that a topic of conversation was what the decoy was wearing under “comfortable clothing.” The teenager responded “nothing” and Verity asked her to “prove it,” a remark that was recorded in the live stream. In sentences that turned the conversation into a potential crime, Verity claimed he had known how to contact a 13‑year‑old for months.
He told the gathered crowd that he was also aware of a “mega” database of child porn, possessing material featuring children as young as eight. He added that he was particularly “interested in 13‑16‑year‑olds.”
When the livestream continued, Verity tried to shift the blame onto his personal life. He stated that his marriage, which he describes as “sex‑less” and “lonely,” pushed him to the internet to try and satisfy his urges. He then admitted the attraction to children had been present for at least a decade, predating his teaching career, as he described an older era when he pursued those impulses.
The video shows him pleading for his family, telling the group he loves his job and his kids and asking if he could “be let off the hook” to keep his job and stay in his family.
The encounter lasted roughly one hour. At the end, a member of Predator Poachers called Suffolk County police. Officers brought Verity in for questioning. He was not arrested at the time of the police visit, but the authorities are still investigating the allegations. The police said they have confirmed Verity was physically present during the encounter.
President of Predator Poachers, Mike Villani, told the press that they intend to submit all video footage and evidence of Verity’s contact with the decoy to the police. Villani said he would meet with Suffolk County law‑enforcement officers on Thursday to file a detailed report based on the evidence his organization gathered.
Family lawyer Marc Gordon, a friend of the Wading River school board, said the school had already suspended Verity. “We’ve put the teacher on leave while we wait for the investigation to proceed,” Gordon explained. “We’re not commenting on allegations yet because we are not conclusive.”
Verity has spoken at other school events this year, taking piano solos and singing in the choir recital. He was also involved with the school’s after‑school music program, according to his pay stub. The school said it will cooperate with law‑enforcement and is trying to provide support to students who might feel uneasy about the situation.
The amid allegations, the case highlights the ongoing concerns about child online safety and the need for schools and communities to report suspicious behavior promptly. Predator Poachers, a nonprofit that trains volunteers to trap include predators on the internet, continues to say their methods are lawful and that they operate under the authority of their state’s Child Victims Act. The organization is also pressuring counties to clean up online predators more aggressively.
With Verity’s release still pending and the alleged crimes potentially under prosecution, the long‑term outcome for the teacher and his students is uncertain. He has no criminal history until now, but the seriousness of the claims could lead to charges ranging from sexting with a minor to possession of child sexual content—a decision that will affect both his career and his personal life. The investigation is ongoing and the final legal outcome remains to be determined.
Source: New York Post
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