A middle school English teacher in the Lower Merion School District has been charged for impersonating a teenager on Snapchat to solicit nude photos and videos of underage girls.
The investigation began on November 14, 2022, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip from the social media app Yubo that a user was “grooming” minors online. .
Investigators said the individual connected two accounts posing as a minor. In at least one of the accounts, the subject said he was looking for a “girl-on-girl relationship” and redirected the conversation to the social media app Snapchat.
Investigators later determined that the user was actually an adult male whom they identified as 31-year-old Jeremy Schobel of Philadelphia.
Apparently the defendant continued to impersonate a girl on Snapchat and requested nude photos and videos of another teenager, while chatting with her on the application.
Investigators later learned that Schobel was an English teacher at Harriton High School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
On June 2, a federal search warrant was obtained at Schobel’s home and on Wednesday, members of the Child Exploitation Task Force of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division executed the search warrant at the home and generated the arrest.
The investigation establishes that Schobel allegedly admitted to creating fake profiles on Yubo and Snapchat to impersonate teenagers and solicit sexual photos of minors. She said that she had committed similar crimes for years and had communicated with many girls between the ages of 16 and 18.
Schobel was charged with enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual conduct and child pornography. He is due to appear in court Tuesday for a detention hearing.
In a statement to parents, a spokesperson said the Lower Merion School District said the educator was suspended and had all access to school devices and networks terminated.
“Schobel joined the Lower Merion School District prior to the start of the 2021-2022 school year,” the spokesperson wrote. “She had no prior history that would have precluded her hiring. While we understand this is an ongoing investigation, at this time, LMSD was not aware of any inappropriate interactions between this individual and LMSD students, and the District has not received any complaints or concerns from students or staff regarding their conduct at school.”
The spokesperson also said that Harriton High School is providing counselors for students and staff who need support.
Anyone with additional information on Schobel is asked to call the FBI’s Robert Nelson at 215-418-4000.
