A former Middle Georgia teacher faces prison time after creating fake social media profiles to obtain nude images and videos of students at the school where he taught, federal prosecutors said.
Michael Allen Dendy, 33, of Milledgeville, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received complaints in 2022 that images of several high school students were posted to the social media platform Discord without their knowledge or approval. Investigators found that Dendy, who was a teacher at Washington County High School, had posed as a young male and female on Instagram to obtain nude images of underage students at the school.
He persuaded a 16-year-old student to engage in sexually explicit conduct, film it and share it with Dendy in January 2023, prosecutors said. He also uploaded a video to Discord in December 2022 depicting a minor between the ages of 14 and 15 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Dendy admitted to obtaining the images of students and confirmed he used fake accounts to communicate with them. He stated he never met with any students in person, prosecutors said.
“It’s a nightmare for parents to imagine a trusted teacher catfishing students and then posting sexually explicit images of these kids on social media,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary in a news release about Dendy’s plea. “This case is an important reminder that online predators are a real threat, and parents must exercise vigilance.”
A sentencing date has not been set, but Dendy faces decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, if he receives the maximum sentences.
“Teachers are supposed to be a safety net for our children, not target and exploit them,” said Jennifer Huerta, the acting special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations field office that oversees Georgia and Alabama. “This plea represents the great work done by HSI and our partners to identify, investigate and prosecute these predators.”
Past teaching posts
Parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy and have concerns related to this investigation can contact the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
- 2020-2023: Washington County High School in Sandersville
- 2018-2020: Griffin High School in Griffin
- 2017-2018: St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland
- 2014-2016: Starkville High School in Starkville, Mississippi
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