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Richard Leaf, age 72, of Somers, was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 23, following an investigation by the FBI, said Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, Leaf, a Scarsdale High School graduate who was a social studies teacher in the Harrison School District, has been the announcer for the Section 1 boys and girls basketball tournaments for more than 36 years.
He is also the announcer for Iona College men's and women's basketball, Scarsdale and Mamaroneck varsity basketball games, and numerous tournaments, and served as president of the Westchester-Putnam Approved Soccer Officials Association.
According to the allegations contained in court papers between March 2019 and April 2020, Leaf, who is in the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame, posed as a teenager named “Alex Bronson” to communicate via Skype with a minor, who Leaf believed was 15 years old.
During the course of the communications, the minor sent Leaf a video of himself masturbating in the shower and a fully nude photo of himself in a bedroom, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, "The account profile picture for 'Alex Bronson' was a tanned Caucasian teenage boy with mid-length surfer-style blonde and brown hair with what appears to be the ocean and beach in the background."
In addition, law enforcement officers uncovered almost a dozen images and videos containing child pornography on Leaf's home computer.
According to the FBI, Leaf allegedly created fictitious accounts on Chat Avenue, an online chatroom website, and Skype to communicate with minors. The usernames of some of his fictitious accounts include:
- alex bronson
- sportsboi.15
- alex15
- 15brandon
- zach.914
- runnerboi.14
- austinf19
- sportsgirl.914
- brandon.williams.23
- dan.dan77771
- beachsand.7
- Austin A
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said parents should take a look at the fake "handles" and have. discussions with their children to see if they have been in contact with Leaf.
"I'd like to stress to parents that although these contacts may occur in a virtual world, they harm your children in the real world," Sweeney said.
Sweeney added if parents believe their child has been in touch with Leaf to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
Leaf was charged with one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography.
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