A gym teacher and an athletic director has been arrested and is facing very serious and disgusting allegations.
A Westchester County teacher accused of forcing a teenage male student to send him sexually explicit photos and prosecutors believe he may have more victims.
Twenty-eight-year-old Thomas James Puccini was arrested at Westchester County Airport on Friday and was accused of engaging with a male teenage student over Snapchat and Cash App. He allegedly did this for over two years, starting when the victim was 17 years old.
He was a teacher, athletic director, and teachers’ union president at Eastchester schools.
Thomas allegedly threatened to expose confidential information if the teen did not comply with him. According to a criminal complaint, Thomas allegedly threatened to tell everyone that the teen boy attended Eastchester schools even though he lived outside the district, and said that he would reveal this information if the teen did not send him the sexually explicit images requested.
Prosecutors say that the messages between the two lasted from November 2021 until November of last year. Now, the Westchester District Attorney’s office is asking for more victims to come forward.
This is known as sextortion, which involves pressuring and threatening people for content of a sexual nature. It reportedly is increasingly problematic for teens and children.
He is now placed on administrative leave and is not allowed on any of the school district’s property. It was said that the school was shocked and disheartened by his arrest and allegations.
He had been reportedly teaching for five years and had no other complaints.
Thomas was charged with fourth-degree larceny for possession of explicit images and was released without bail following his arraignment. He is due in Eastchester court on Wednesday.
Anyone who has been a victim of Thomas’s or anyone who may have any information about him is asked to contact the local DA’s office at 914-995-TIPS (8546). The District Attorney’s Office is on standby to offer support and assistance to victims and families while the investigation continues.
