An upscale private school in Brooklyn knowingly hired an ex-convict who was later accused of soliciting child pornography from students and then “humiliated” students and parents who raised concerns about his employment, a lawsuit has revealed. This was revealed in a scathing investigation report.
Elite St. Ann's School has hired Winston Nguyen after the teacher was arrested in June for allegedly catfishing students online and tricking them into sending X-rated photos of themselves. We commissioned an independent investigation into the matter.
The report, released Tuesday, found that top management had authorized the previous “Jeopardy!” Champion plans to begin teaching in 2020, pending the results of a background check.
And even when they learned that Nguyen, 38, had just served time in prison for defrauding an elderly couple out of $300,000, administrators gave him a full-time contract and shared news of his rap sheet with St. They did not tell Ann's family or teachers, the report charges. .
A 39-page report compiled by an outside law firm repeatedly cited the decisions of three administrators, including then-superintendent Vincent Tompkins, to hire Nguyen. then-dean Melissa Canter; and Maureen Yusuf Morales, then principal of the high school.
“Mr. Tompkins and Mr. Cantor also believe that St. Anne's University 'believes in second chances,' and hiring someone with a criminal record is an act that they believe is consistent with the school's values.” “We saw an opportunity to do so and decided to hire Mr. Nguyen,'' the report states.
Students ultimately determined that during the 2021-2022 school year, Nguyen had recently worked at Rikers Island on charges of fraud and endangering the welfare of an incapacitated or disabled person. When he was discovered, investigators noted that administrators appeared to be shielding him from any backlash.
“Multiple witnesses told investigators that Mr. Nguyen appeared to be partially shielded from criticism by senior executives, including Mr. Tompkins, Mr. Cantor, and Yusuf Morales.”
“His employment was viewed by those administrators as an expression of the school's progressive values,” the report states.
“Multiple witnesses told investigators that the students were upset or
He spoke with other students about Nguyen's conviction and was “shamed” by Yusuf Morales for not doing so.
The purpose is to support restorative justice or spread rumors,” the report added.
Separately, the report also states that when the school later realized that a then-unidentified person was targeting students online to obtain sexually explicit images, administrators again It was also revealed that he did not report the incident to anyone.
A report conducted by the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton said: “St. .
“Therefore, information that some St. Anne's students were being targeted by an unknown Snapchat account was not shared with anyone other than a small group of administrators.”
The school “worked with some families who reported the catfishing to law enforcement” but did not contact the district attorney's office, according to the report.
Nguyen was accused by police of being the mastermind behind the catfishing scheme, leading to his dramatic arrest in front of students in June.
According to a criminal complaint, he allegedly posed as a teenager on Snapchat and had hundreds of sexual chats with 13-year-olds, trolling them for videos of nudes and sexual performances. There is.
Prosecutors say he attended a series of upscale private schools in Brooklyn, including Berkeley Carroll School, Packer College Institute, Poly Prep Country Day School, and his employer, St. Ann's School. He is accused of victimizing at least six young people attending the school.
All three administrators named in the report have since left the school. Efforts by the Post to reach them Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Tompkins, who has since retired, said: new york times “Winston Nguyen's actions are abhorrent, reprehensible and contrary to the core values of St. Anne's School,” the statement said.
Kanter declined to comment to the press.
Meanwhile, the school's current principal, Kenyat Reid, called the report's findings “extremely concerning” and apologized to school officials.
“We are deeply sorry for the pain this has caused our community and are committed to protecting, affirming and caring for children,” Reed said in a statement posted on St. Anne's website. “
“The report's findings reveal a number of reasons why former employee Winston Nguyen was able to exploit children at St. Ann's. The information contained in this report is extremely disturbing. It's difficult to process, but it's necessary for us to move forward.”
