JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 27-year-old teacher in St. Johns County has been arrested on accusations of attempting to engage with sexual activity with a 14-year-old.
Matthew Christopher Yates, 27, was charged with using the internet to attempt to entice a child to engage in sexual activity.
In a press release, United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg says Yates faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release.
At the time of his arrest on Friday, Yates was an eighth-grade teacher at Veritas Classical School in St. Augustine, according to the release.
Yates' profile on the school's website has since been removed. First Coast News has reached out to the school for a statement.
According to court documents, on Feb. 11, 2022, an undercover FBI agent who was posing online as a 14-year-old child responded to an online notice posted by the user “English teacher” on a particular online social media application.
The user was subsequently identified as Yates, official say.
During the online conversation, documents show the “child” advised that she was 14 years old and in the eighth grade, and Yates stated that he was a teacher and suggested that they “should meet up” at the beach.
The online conversation continued on another social media platform, and Yates (using the name “prof0987”) and the “child” exchanged photos of each other, according to the release.
Between Feb. 22 and March 11, documents allege that Yates and the “child” exchanged numerous text messages and Yates sent several photos that were either sexually suggestive or sexually explicit, including one that purportedly depicted Yates’ penis.
On March 8, Yates asked the “child” to meet in person to engage in sexual activity, officials say. Yates provided the undercover agent with details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the “child.”
On the afternoon of March 11, officials say Yates drove his vehicle to a prearranged location in Jacksonville to meet the “child” for sex and was arrested by FBI agents.
Upon searching Yates, agents say they found him to be in possession of numerous condoms.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Jacksonville). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."