Ex-St. Augustine Teacher Receives Sentence for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of Minor

In JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former teacher from St. Augustine has been sentenced following his attempt to coerce a minor into creating explicit content, as reported by the Department of Justice.

Yates’s sentencing includes 15 years behind bars and a subsequent 10-year period of supervised release. Additionally, he must register as a sex offender.

In their text conversation, the agent claimed to be a 14-year-old girl in eighth grade, to which Yates responded by revealing that he was a teacher.

The court documents further reveal that Yates exchanged photos with the undercover agent and made inappropriate comments, such as expressing curiosity about how the “child” might look in a bikini and inquiring if they had ever fantasized about a teacher.

Court documents show that during this interaction, the undercover agent and Yates would exchange photos. Yates also told the “child,” “I bet you look hot in a bikini,” and asked if they had “ever fantasize[d] about a teacher.”

Between Feb. 22 and March 11, 2022, court documents say that more messages between the undercover agent and Yates were shared, in which he had sent them several photos. One of the photos was an explicit image of himself.

On March 8, 2022, Yates asked the “girl” to meet in person, where he detailed specific sexual acts he intended to perform on “her,” before confirming plans to meet days later. Yates asked the “girl” if she wanted to video-record their sexual activities to “remember it even better.” 

Yates drove to a prearranged location to meet with the “girl” on March 11, 2022, where he was met and arrested by FBI agents. Court documents say that Yates brought several items with him, such as a cellphone and condoms, before admitting that he had planned to meet a 14-year-old for sex.

When asked if the two were going to have any sexual contact, Yates said: “If that’s what she wanted, that we could.”