A Long Island elementary school teacher whose employment has been suspended was arrested for allegedly sexting someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. This occurred as shocking records of chat logs were unveiled.
Mark Verity, aged 37, faces charges for attempting to send sexual messages to a minor and for trying to involve the child in a sexual act after being caught in an undercover sting operation conducted by Predator Poachers Long Island.
Verity, who teaches music at Wading River Elementary School, was taken into custody following a two-day investigation triggered by a viral video confrontation organized by the vigilante group. In this encounter, the married father of two reportedly confessed to engaging in the inappropriate exchanges.
The disturbing messages revealed that Verity initiated contact with an undercover decoy posing as a minor in early October.
The individual posed as a middle school student, although she was actually a 29-year-old member of the group using AI to project a younger appearance, according to the transcripts.
“You’re really cute,” Verity reportedly communicated with the decoy through Kik, a messaging app popular among users.
Within an hour, their conversation shifted to Snapchat, where Verity made increasingly sexual requests, including asking for nude photos and expressing his desire to meet for sex. He mentioned being in a relationship but claimed that wouldn’t stop him from pursuing the decoy.
“You’re prettier anyway — I’d make sure you got the same attention,” Verity commented regarding his wife, who also works in the same school district.
The 15-year veteran educator then inquired about the decoy’s cup size and her past experiences with boys.
The decoy replied that she had only kissed a boy, to which Verity replied he would help her practice, complimenting her kissing abilities.
As the conversation progressed, Verity began pressing for the decoy to send sexually explicit photos, specifically requesting pictures of her in pink underwear and asking her to pose in suggestive ways.
He further probed into what intimate positions she might want to explore, assuring her he would be “super gentle” when taking her virginity.
The day after the initial confrontation, Verity continued his communications with the decoy during school hours and was confronted later that afternoon by the group outside of his workplace.
During the lengthy encounter, Verity made a shocking admission on camera, acknowledging his interactions with the decoy and also claimed to have significant access to child pornography, attributing his misconduct to a lack of intimacy in his marriage.
Mark Verity is slated for arraignment on Saturday. There has been no immediate response from the Shoreham-Wading River school district.
