Former Jacksonville High School Teacher Pleads Guilty To Distributing Child Pornography

Jacksonville, Florida – Jordan Frederic Schemmel (37, Ormond Beach) has pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography over the internet. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Additionally, Schemmel will be required to register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on September 5, 2018, Schemmel, using the user name “Profsunrise15,” responded to a message on an internet bulletin board frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children. This message had been posted by an undercover FBI agent. Schemmel then began an online conversation with the agent using a popular social messaging application. After some conversation about sexual interest in children, Schemmel sent the agent a video that depicted a young child being sexually assaulted by an adult male, and later sent a photo depicting similar criminal conduct with a child. FBI agents were able to identify the IP address used by Schemmel and tracked it to his residence. At that time, Schemmel was a teacher at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville.

On October 19, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Schemmel’s home. During an interview, Schemmel stated that he had sent the child-pornographic video using the app, and that he had previously tried unsuccessfully to stop viewing child pornography on a number of occasions. A forensic examination of his smartphone and a thumb drive seized from his home revealed that Schemmel had collected 106 images and 28 videos depicting young children being sexually abused.  

This case was investigated by the FBI, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.