Joseph Garofalo, Valley Stream high school lacrosse coach, accused of 'sextortion' of 13-year-old boy, prosecutors say

An assistant boys lacrosse coach at Valley Stream Central High School has been arrested and charged with the alleged "sextortion" of a 13-year-old boy, whom he allegedly enticed to produce and send sexually explicit images via Snapchat — one of at least 30 alleged victims of the defendant, federal prosecutors said in newly unsealed court papers.

Joseph Garofalo, 20, of Valley Stream, pleaded not guilty last month to the charge of sexual exploitation of children. He has been denied bail — despite his parents, grandparents and aunt attempting to be suretors, using their homes as collateral of more than $1.5 million — on the basis that he is a danger to the community, court papers said.

"Defendant has previously admitted to FBI agents upon arrest that he has an 'addiction' to the type of troubling behavior at issue here and, as such, has been unable to stop," U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks wrote in an order denying bail to Garofalo earlier this month. "He has engaged in this behavior since he was fifteen years old and, despite getting older, his victims remain in the same age range — between twelve and sixteen years old. At this juncture, the Government has already identified 30 victims after merely searching 1/3 of one of the four phones discovered in Defendant’s possession — two of which were hidden in Defendant’s room."

The judge said "most" of the alleged child victims who have already been identified are on Long Island, but at least one of the alleged victims lives in Pennsylvania.

Garofalo's attorney, Anthony La Pinta, of Hauppauge, said in a statement Thursday: "These allegations come as a shock to the Garofalo family. Nevertheless, they are unconditionally supportive of Joseph through this difficult time. Joseph is known to be a respectful, caring and hard working young man. Our goal at this stage is to review and understand the evidence and determine an appropriate defense."

Valley Stream Central High School District Superintendent Dr. Wayne Loper, in a letter to the parents and staff following Newsday's online publication of Garofalo's arrest, referred to Garofalo as a former lacrosse coach and said the FBI had informed the district that none of the alleged victims are Valley Stream Central High School students.

"As with all individuals working in our schools, this former coach underwent mandated state and federal background checks prior to his employment by the District and cleared all vetting procedures," Loper wrote. "We recognize that this news is extremely disturbing, and we appreciate your understanding. The safety and well-being of our students remains our utmost commitment."

The mother of a 13-year-old boy contacted the FBI in Pittsburgh on Oct. 3 through the FBI National Threat Operation Center and said that her son, identified in court papers as "MINOR-1," was a victim of sextortion by an unknown Snapchat account — which authorities said was later identified as an account used by Garofalo, according to a criminal complaint filed April 18, the day Garofalo was arrested.

An FBI agent who reviewed Garofalo's Snapchat account said the 13-year-old boy "shared naked photos and videos with the Snapchat Account which included MINOR-1’s face," the complaint said.

FBI Special Agent Michelle Royal, in the complaint, added: "The mother further advised that MINOR-1 believed that the user of the Snapchat Account had deleted the images and videos."

In a later Snapchat conversation between the minor victim's account and Garofalo, he allegedly said they had not been deleted and he "threatened to share them online unless MINOR-1 sent more naked photos or sent explicit photos of his friends," Royal wrote in the complaint.

In a transcript of the conversation between Garofalo's account and the minor's account, Garofalo said: "So im not gonna delete them for a guy that blocked me unless he gives me a good reason to."

Garofalo's account added: "Send stuff of ur boys naked n il ldelete."

When the minor said he would "never" do that, Garofalo's account wrote: "Welp then im not deleting."

The FBI also reviewed a tip that was received by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children from Snapchat on May 1, 2024, that alleged that a Snapchat account associated with Garofalo had uploaded three files containing images that appeared to be CSAM, or child sex abuse material.

Snapchat, in response to a search warrant, produced "at least nine separate images and videos of nine separate minors that all appear to contain CSAM," the complaint said.

Garofalo consented to a "voluntary interview" when the FBI executed a search warrant at his home on April 18, the complaint said.

Garofalo "admitted that he controlled the Snapchat account, solicited minors for CSAM, had CSAM on his electronic devices, and recognized an image of CSAM that law enforcement officers showed him," the complaint said.

The FBI is asking anyone who believes they are a victim in the case to contact the agency at 1-800-CALLFBI.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.