A former St. Augustine teacher has pleaded guilty to federal charges of attempting to entice a minor to produce a sexual abuse video. Matthew Christopher Yates, age 30 from Hastings, potentially faces a lengthy prison sentence of 15 to 30 years, with subsequent lifelong supervised release. His sentencing is scheduled for December 18. Yates, an ex-eighth-grade teacher at Veritas Classical School, was apprehended following an FBI sting operation. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced his guilty plea on Friday last week, according to a statement released by the United States Attorney's Office.
The circumstances of Yates' crime were detailed in court documents, which revealed that he responded to an undercover FBI agent posing as a 14-year-old on an online app. During the engagement, Yates inquired if the child fantasized about teachers, and exchanged inappropriate messages and photos. His actions, spanning from February 11 to March 11, 2022, escalated to him arranging a meeting to video-record a sexual act with the believed minor. Yates was arrested on March 11 after driving to meet the child with condoms and a cellphone in his possession.
As per the release, an undercover FBI agent initiated the conversation with Yates on February 11, 2022. After stating that she was 14 and in eighth grade, Yates pursued the conversation with suggestive comments, including telling the child, "I bet you look hot in a bikini."
The case underlines the efforts of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative aiming to curb the epidemic of child exploitation. This collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement has the goal to detect and prosecute perpetrators while ensuring justice for victims. The FBI's Jacksonville field office handled the investigation into Yates' activities, with Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown prosecuting the case.
