Anthony Michael Souza, a former arts and theater teacher in New York City public schools, was sentenced on April 6 to 150 months in prison for the receipt and distribution of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla following Souza’s guilty plea.
The case is significant due to Souza’s position as a trusted educator responsible for children from kindergarten through high school. Authorities said he violated that trust by sharing explicit material involving minors, including his own students.
“New York City parents trusted Anthony Michael Souza to keep their children safe,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Souza betrayed that trust by sharing ghastly child pornography and preying on minors, including his own students. Today’s sentence affirms yet again this Office’s unwavering commitment to protect our children and to find and prosecute individuals who traffic in child pornography.”
According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, Souza sent and received approximately 250 videos and about 1,050 images containing child pornography over three years leading up to his arrest in 2024. Some materials depicted abuse of infants and toddlers. Investigators also found that he took sexualized photographs and videos of clothed young children inside classrooms, which he shared with others involved in distributing illegal content.
Further details revealed that Souza maintained a sexual relationship with a minor for more than a year, filming some encounters and involving other adults on occasion. He also attempted unsuccessfully to “groom” another student but was rebuffed when the student cut off contact.
In addition to the prison term, Souza received five years of supervised release. Clayton praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on this case.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Getzel Berger from the General Crimes Unit.
