A former substitute teacher from Bayside pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he tried to lure a 14-year-old girl he met online — who turned out to be an undercover cop — into a sexual rendezvous for cash.
Christopher Tselios, 29, of 64th Avenue was arrested in July 2016 as part of an NYPD Vice Enforcement Major Case Team sting operation. According to authorities, he had arranged to meet the “girl” in Forest Hills with the intention of paying her $500 for oral sex.
Law enforcement sources said that Tselios had worked for the city Department of Education as a substitute special education teacher until 2015. The week of his arrest, he had planned to leave the U.S. permanently for South Korea, where he was scheduled to teach kindergarten.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, the undercover detective made contact with Tselios on July 26, 2016, in responding to a Craigslist ad seeking “fun with a teen high schooler or younger.” Tselios sent a response inquiring about the “girl’s” age; the undercover agent claimed to be 14 years old.
Through an email conversation, prosecutors said, the agent sent a photo of a female undercover officer, and Tselios sent a photo of himself. In a July 29 email, Tselios then suggested that they meet up at a Forest Hills restaurant to “fool around” and offered $500 to further entice her.
Law enforcement sources said the female undercover officer went to the unidentified restaurant at 11 p.m. that night when Tselios showed up. He told the female officer to leave with him, and they walked toward his parked car, where police apprehended him.
During his Dec. 11 court appearance, Tselios pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree attempted criminal sexual act, first-degree attempted disseminating indecent material to minors, second-degree attempted patronizing a prostitute and attempted endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 6 and will likely be sentenced to three months in jail followed by 10 years’ probation; Tselios will also be required to register as a sex offender.
“This case, and the many others my office has prosecuted over the years, should serve as a warning to parents that they must closely monitor their children’s internet activities,” Brown said in a statement. “Despite the numerous publicized arrests for exactly this type of behavior, sexual predators continue to relentlessly troll the internet for victims. Do not let your child become one of them.”
