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Jeremy Schobel, 33, of Philadelphia, was an English teacher at Harriton High School in Lower Merion Township and the High School of Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia when he created the Snapchat and Yubo accounts that he used to "entice young teenage girls, including one who was a student at his school," as stated in the USDOJ release.
For over three years Schobel posed as fictional girls online, "creating extensive, fake profiles to deceive his underage victims into sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves," the USDOJ noted explained that he often accessed this profile and participated in this behavior within the "classrooms at Harriton High."
When Daily Voice first reported on Schobel's arrest in June 2023, the Lower Merion School District, administrators had just suspended him and sent us the following statement:
"While we understand that this is an ongoing investigation, at this time, LMSD is not aware of any inappropriate interactions between Mr. Schobel and LMSD students [...] Additionally, the District had not received any complaints or concerns from students or staff regarding his conduct in school."
After his arrest, the FBI agents claimed Schobel "admitted to creating both fake profiles" and "advised agents that he had committed these crimes for years," as written in court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
He pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and five counts of manufacture of child pornography in March 2024, court records show.
For his "elaborate child exploitation catfishing scheme", he was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John F. Murphy to 30 years’ imprisonment, 20 years of supervised release, and he must register as a sex offender pursuant to Megan’s Law in Pennsylvania, as stated in the USDOJ release.
“As a teacher, Jeremy Schobel was tasked with developing young minds,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said. “As a predator, though, he chose to deceive and sexually exploit underage girls online — often from his school classroom. Today’s sentence closes the book on Schobel’s years of catfishing and gives his victims a measure of justice. Protecting children from abuse will always be a top priority for my office and our partners at the FBI.”
“Mr. Schobel abused his position of public trust to prey on those we expected him to protect,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The sexual exploitation of children is among the most devious crimes we investigate and today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that the FBI and our partners will work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation.”
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