Ryan McCaffery, a former Riverhead High School teacher and soccer coach, pleaded guilty after prosecutors said he posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat and targeted underage girls.
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A former Long Island high school teacher and soccer coach has admitted posing as a teenage boy online to solicit nude images from underage girls, sending explicit images of himself and sharing child sexual abuse material through messaging apps, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Ryan McCaffery, 38, of Ridge, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors as sexually motivated felonies and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
McCaffery previously worked as a social studies teacher and junior varsity boys soccer coach at Riverhead High School.
“As a teacher, this defendant had a responsibility to safeguard children, not exploit them,” Tierney said. “He has now admitted to soliciting and distributing child sexual abuse material and will be held accountable for his actions.”
Prosecutors Say Teacher Posed as Teenage Boy
The investigation began after the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a Nov. 4, 2024, tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving child sexual abuse material shared through Kik.
State Police searched McCaffery’s Ridge home on Jan. 17, 2025, and seized multiple electronic devices.
A forensic examination uncovered evidence that McCaffery had posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat between December 2024 and January 2025, prosecutors said.
He used the username “c_chambers77.”
Investigators said McCaffery used Snapchat’s “quick add” function to add hundreds of random accounts in an effort to reach underage girls.
He then sent explicit images of himself and requested nude images from the children, according to prosecutors.
The New York State Police previously said McCaffery was arrested in May 2025 following the investigation and appealed to parents whose children may have received communications from the Snapchat account to contact investigators.
Child Sexual Abuse Material Shared on Kik
Investigators also found evidence that McCaffery attempted to view and purchase additional child sexual abuse images and videos, prosecutors said.
He shared at least one such video with another Kik user.
The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children investigators.
McCaffery resigned from his Riverhead teaching job on Feb. 5, 2025, approximately two weeks after investigators searched his home.
School officials said at the time that the criminal allegations known to the district were not connected to his work as a teacher or interactions with Riverhead students.
McCaffery Previously Faced Charges in Bergen County
McCaffery’s legal problems also extended into New Jersey.
Bergen County authorities arrested him in February 2025 in a separate investigation involving two children under the age of 13.
Prosecutors in that case said an investigation began after Tenafly police learned of an online conversation between a child and someone presenting himself as another juvenile.
Investigators ultimately identified McCaffery as the adult behind the account and alleged that he requested nude photographs and engaged in sexual acts while video chatting with the children.
He was charged in New Jersey with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of third-degree child endangerment and two counts of fourth-degree lewdness.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that McCaffery has since been convicted of similar crimes in Bergen County.
Three-Year Prison Sentence Expected
McCaffery entered his Suffolk County guilty plea Sept. 21 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis.
He admitted to two Class D felony counts of disseminating indecent material to minors in the first degree as sexually motivated felonies and one Class A misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child.
McCaffery is expected to receive three years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision when he returns to court Oct. 21.
He is represented by attorney Elena Fast.
“My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to exploit children and use the internet to facilitate these horrific crimes,” Tierney said.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Assistant District Attorneys Sean Murphy and Melissa Grier of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau are prosecuting the case.
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