Former Riverhead High School teacher Ryan McCaffery pleads guilty to soliciting nude images from underage girls, sharing child porn

A former Riverhead High School teacher admitted Monday to posing as a teenager to solicit nude images from underage girls on Snapchat and to sharing child porn on a messaging app, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

Ryan McCaffery, 38, of Ridge, pleaded guilty to first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, a felony, before acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Riverhead, prosecutors said in a news release.

"As a teacher, this defendant had a responsibility to safeguard children, not exploit them," District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. "He has now admitted soliciting and distributing child sexual abuse material and will be held accountable for his actions"

A New York State Police task force began an investigation into McCaffery in November 2024 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual had shared child sexual abuse material on Kik, a messaging application, authorities said. In January 2025, police executed a search warrant at McCaffery’s residence and found that over the prior two months he had been contacting underage girls, presenting himself as a teen.

Using the handle "c_chambers77” on Snapchat, McCaffery contacted hundreds of accounts of underage girls, sending photos of his exposed genitals and requesting nude images in return, prosecutors said. McCaffery also attempted to view and purchase sexual abuse images, sharing one such video with another user on Kik, according to the news release.

During the investigation, prosecutors learned that McCaffery taught social studies and coached junior varsity boys soccer at Riverhead, prosecutors said. He resigned from his teaching position following an arrest on similar charges in New Jersey in February 2025 and was charged on Long Island three months later, authorities said.

McCaffery pleaded guilty in Bergen County and received a five-year sentence, according to court records.

He is expected to serve three years in New York State prison following Monday’s plea. Sentencing is set for Oct. 21, court records show. He will serve the sentences concurrently.

McCaffery’s attorney, Elena Fast, of Manhattan, declined to comment.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.