Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jacqueline Maguire, the Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the arrest of JESUS CONCEPCION, a/k/a “Mr. C.,” for enticing four minor victims to engage in sexual activity, transporting those minor victims across state lines to engage in illegal sexual acts, and inducing one minor victim to produce child pornography. CONCEPCION was arrested on August 7, 2021, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was presented today in the Western District of North Carolina.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Jesus Concepcion abused his position as a teacher at a public school in the Bronx to engage in sexual relationships with several of his students. Concepcion sexually exploited those students, who were minors, at the public school, in and around the Bronx, and in other states. Together with our partners in the FBI, we will work tirelessly to ensure that anyone who engages in this type of conduct will be subject to the full force of the law.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director Jacqueline Maguire said: “Teachers serve as trusted figures to their students as they work to educate and prepare them for the future. As alleged, Mr. Concepcion egregiously breached that trust as he abused his position to coerce students – some as young as 12 years old – into having sex with him. Parents deserve to send their children to school each day knowing they will be safe as they receive an education – and not be exploited and assaulted by a so-called educator who only sees students as his potential victims.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment filed on July 28, 2021, and unsealed today[1]:
CONCEPCION was a music teacher and orchestra instructor at a public charter middle school located in the Bronx, New York (“School-1”), from in or about 2000 up to and including in or about 2007. CONCEPCION lured four of his students at School-1 into sexual relationships (“Minor Victim-1,” “Minor Victim-2,” “Minor Victim-3,” and “Minor Victim-4,” and together the “Minor Victims”). The Minor Victims were as young as 12 years old at the time of the abuse.
From at least in or about 2002 through at least in or about 2007, CONCEPCION singled out the Minor Victims for personal attention. He gave them money, clothing, jewelry, and other gifts, and he provided them with alcohol. He told several of the Minor Victims that they were in romantic relationships with him and provided each of the Minor Victims with a cellphone so that they could communicate with him without their parents’ knowledge. CONCEPCION used the cellphones he provided and other devices to maintain his “relationships” with the Minor Victims and to arrange sexual encounters.
CONCEPCION engaged in sexual intercourse with the Minor Victims in various locations, including in School-1’s music room, in the back room of School-1’s auditorium, in his car, at motels, at his residences, and, after some of the Minor Victims left School-1, at their out-of-state high schools. On numerous occasions, CONCEPCION brought the Minor Victims from School-1 or other locations in the Bronx to motels in New Jersey. On at least one occasion, CONCEPCION had sexual intercourse with Minor Victim-3 in a New Jersey motel against her will.
CONCEPCION also instructed Minor Victim-3 to take naked photographs of herself and to send them to him. CONCEPCION directed Minor Victim-3 how to pose, to touch herself in a sexually explicit manner, and to photograph her genitalia. CONCEPCION also attempted to induce another one of the Minor Victims, Minor Victim-4, to take sexually explicit photographs. When Minor Victim-4 resisted, CONCEPCION showed Minor Victim-4 the photographs sent to him by Minor Victim-3 and told Minor Victim-4 that these were the sort of photographs CONCEPCION sought.
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CONCEPCION, 48, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, is charged with four counts of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and four counts of transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, each of which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. CONCEPCION also is charged with inducing a minor to produce child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the efforts of FBI and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) for their outstanding work in this matter, particularly the FBI-NYPD New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. She also thanked the FBI’s Charlotte Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance. She added that the investigation is ongoing.
Any individuals who believe they have information that may be relevant to this investigation should contact FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Elinor L. Tarlow and Camille L. Fletcher are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
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