A former Riverhead High School teacher and junior varsity boys soccer coach has pleaded guilty to charges accusing him of posing as a teenage boy online to solicit nude images from underage girls and sharing child sexual abuse material with another user on the messaging app Kik. Ryan McCaffery, 38, of Ridge, admitted this week to two counts of first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors as a sexually motivated felony and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Prosecutors say McCaffery pretended to be a teenage boy while contacting underage girls on Snapchat, using the account name c_chambers77, according to Patch. He is accused of quick-adding hundreds of random users in an effort to reach underage girls, then sending them explicit images of himself and asking them to send nude photos in return. As News 12 Long Island reports, investigators identified McCaffery as a social studies teacher and JV boys soccer coach at Riverhead High School.
Beyond the Snapchat solicitations, McCaffery is accused of sharing child sexual abuse material through Kik and attempting to view and purchase additional videos and images depicting child sexual abuse. Newsday reports he admitted this week to posing as a teenager to solicit nude images from underage girls on Snapchat.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The case traces back to a tip. On Nov. 4, 2024, the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child sexual abuse material being shared on Kik, the report notes. That tip set off an investigation that led investigators to McCaffery.
On Jan. 17, 2025, New York State Police executed a search warrant at McCaffery’s Ridge home and seized several electronic devices, the same account states. Weeks later, on Feb. 5, 2025, McCaffery resigned from his teaching position. He was arrested by New York State Police on May 12, 2025, roughly three months after stepping down.
A Prior Case in New Jersey
McCaffery also pleaded guilty in Bergen County, New Jersey, and received a five-year sentence to be served concurrently with his New York sentence. The New York charges stem from separate conduct investigated by state police after the 2024 tip.
What Comes Next
McCaffery is expected to be sentenced to three years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision, with sentencing scheduled for Oct. 21, 2026. That sentence remains prospective pending the formal hearing.
Cases involving Long Island educators accused of child exploitation crimes have surfaced elsewhere in recent years. A Long Island teacher, Michael Fazio, pleaded guilty in federal court to a child-pornography possession charge, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Separately, former Long Island educator and coach Kevin Barry O’Connell was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography, per the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
