Jacksonville High School Teacher Arrested And Federally Charged With Distribution Of Child Sexual Abuse Video

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced today that Jordan Frederic Schemmel (37, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint with distributing child pornography.  Schemmel faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. Schemmel has been detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 25, 2018.

According to the

, on September 5, 2018, an individual using the screen name “JS” and the user name “Profsunrise15” responded to a message on an internet bulletin board frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children. This message had been posted by an undercover FBI agent. The user (“Profsunrise15”), later identified as Jordan Frederic Schemmel, began an online conversation with the undercover FBI agent. After some conversation about sexual interest in children, Profsunrise15 sent the agent a video depicting a prepubescent child being sexually assaulted by an adult male, and later sent a photo depicting similar criminal conduct with a child. Further investigation revealed that the IP address used by Profsunrise15 resolved to Schemmel’s residence in Jacksonville, and that Schemmel was a teacher at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville. 

On October 19, 2018, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Schemmel’s residence and seized several items of computer media and at least one Apple iPhone. During an interview with law enforcement, Schemmel stated that his Kik user name was Profsunrise15, that he had sent the child-pornographic video using the Kik app, and that he had previously tried unsuccessfully to stop viewing child pornography. An examination of Schemmel’s smart phone and a thumb drive located at his residence revealed that both contained images and videos depicting child pornography and bestiality.  Schemmel was placed under arrest.

This case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the FBI Jacksonville office at 904-248-7000.

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. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. 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."

A criminal complaint is only an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.