West Irondequoit School District Counselor Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

The West Irondequoit Central School District (WICSD) in Monroe County, New York is facing charges of child pornography after school counselor Scott Steinberg was arrested Friday on suspicion of distributing and promoting the acts of children. The school district announced that it will cooperate with law enforcement, but the specifics of the charge are still unclear.

According to the Monroe County District Attorney’s office, Steinberg is accused of promoting obscene sexual performances by a child and possessing and distributing the same. Bail is set at $250,000 cash or $50,000 partially secured bond. A preliminary hearing is set for November 3 at 4 p.m. at the Greece Town Court.

In August, Homeland Security Investigations agents were contacted and asked to investigate eight videos. HSI agents traced an IP address to a device used for uploads. This device was later seized from Roatsey’s home in Elkview, West Virginia. The alleged actions of the counselor were not believed to have involved local children. However, the FBI and Greece police have been investigating the matter.

The Irondequoit District has been working with the Bivona Child Advocacy Center since this incident, and the organization has offered support to the school district. It has also hosted a panel of experts on the issue. Among them is University of Rochester Medical Center’s Dr. Susan Yussman and Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green. Other panel members include the Irondequoit Police Department’s Sgt. Jonna Izzo and town justice Joe Genier, Bishop Kearney counselor Tara Preteroti, and emergency room nurse Rosemary Magill.

Steinberg was charged with several crimes, including two counts of promoting obscene sexual performances and one count of possessing obscene sexual performance by a child. He is also accused of possession of drugs. During a preliminary hearing, he was ordered detained pending a court hearing. His bond is currently $50,000. WICSD officials said the actions of Steinberg did not involve local children. Currently, they have removed Steinberg from the district’s online directory. However, it is likely that they will be required to continue to work with local law enforcement to monitor and enforce disciplinary policies.

Neither Steinberg nor his attorney has yet commented on the case. News 10 NBC is working to learn more about the specifics of the charges against the counselor. Although he has been working in the Irondequoit schools for 21 years, his charges are not associated with students from the district. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison.

According to the Monroe Number One Board of Cooperative Educational Services, a charter school district, Steinberg has been a counselor in the district for 21 years. Before coming to West Irondequoit, he served as a school counselor in Spencerport and Hilton. He has also been a camp counselor at the YMCA Camp Northpoint in Hilton. Since being a counselor at West Irondequoit, he has been a member of the West Irondequoit Teachers’ Association. As a former president, he is a familiar face to teachers in the district.