A New York City math teacher has been arrested after authorities found him with at least 1,000 photos and videos of child pornography – including some featuring children as young as three.
Ross Lanvin, 41, allegedly used a fake name to create a Google account to store his growing collection between September 2021 and this past December, federal prosecutors claim.
That month, Google flagged about 150 images and 90 videos containing explicit images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – which then sent the files to federal investigators.
Authorities soon learned that the Google account in question – under the name ‘Ryan Ryan’ – was verified with a phone number belonging to Lanvin, and that multiple IP address that were used to access the burner account also belonged to Lanvin.
It was even linked to several accounts, including one belonging to an [email protected], and was previously used to look up lesson plans and teaching resources, according to the criminal complaint.
Once, Lanvin even used Google’s AI chatbot Gemini to find math problems to put on a quiz, and in May, the Google account was accessed from the a New York City Department of Education device, prosecutors say.
At the same time, Lanvin also allegedly used the Google account to search for ‘gay teen boys’ and browse a porn site.
When authorities then searched Lanvin’s apartment, they allegedly found more videos on his iPad, including one showing an approximately six year old boy lying down on a bed, fully nude with his hands behind his head, and a video of an adult man manipulating a six year old boy in to different positions as he penetrates the boy.
Lanvin eventually confirmed the account was his and admitted to accessing child pornography, federal prosecutors say.
He is now facing two counts of possession of child pornography, including images and videos of prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age. Those charges come with a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
‘As alleged, Ross Lanvin, who had close contact with students as a teacher at a public school in Manhattan, possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography,’ Acting US Attorney Matthew Podolsky said in a statement.
‘Together with our partners at the NYPD and Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigations for the NYC School District, we will continue to work to root out those who possess child pornography, especially when those individuals work in positions that give them access to children—some of the most vulnerable members of our community.’
Lanvin was most recently listed as a sixth-grade math teacher at MS 256 Lafayette Academy in New York’s Upper West Side, the New York Post reports.
He apparently worked at the school from August 2020 through last year.
The outlet had found a video on the school’s Instagram page from March 2023 captioned ‘Mr. Lanvin,’ which allegedly showed the teacher on stage at an event getting a plate of whipped cream smashed in his face by the school principal and student.
That video seems to have since been taken down.
But another video from the event, seen by DailyMail.com, showed him speaking to a female student as someone else read the rules for the Pi Day event.
A video posted on the Lafayette Academy’s Instagram page showed him speaking to a female student at a Pi Day event in March 2023
Lanvin was most recently listed as a sixth-grade math teacher at MS 256 Lafayette Academy in New York’s Upper West Side
Records obtained by the Post show Lanvin has been on the city Department of Education payroll since 2016 and still has active licenses for grades one through six as well as bilingual education.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education told the Post the charges against Lanvin were ‘extremely concerning.’
She said he has now been ‘reassigned away from students pending the outcome of the arrest.
‘If convicted, we will pursue termination,’ she said.
Lanvin was released from custody on February 18 on a $75,000 bond and is due back in court this month.
DailyMail.com has reached out the Department of Education and the Lafayette Academy for comment.