A former Big Apple acting teacher allegedly passed around a disturbing trove of child porn with over a thousand files – including images depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants – over a short few months, according to federal prosecutors.
Actor and dancer Samuel Gonzalez, 31, was arrested Monday, more than two years after he first made contact with an undercover federal agent and began sharing the sickening content, a criminal complaint alleged.
The Brooklyn resident allegedly used an online messaging app to send the covert investigator links that contained more than 1,500 files of child porn between January and April of 2023, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said.
Later that year, the feds seized a slew of his electronic devices, including his cell phone and laptop, which allegedly held 18 videos and 69 photos of child pornography.
Some files showed infants as young as just a few months old, the feds said.
“As alleged, Samuel Gonzalez distributed a large volume of child pornography, including images of sexual abuse of children as young as a few months old,” Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.
“The lasting scars from the horrific abuse of children are deeply troubling to all New Yorkers. Together with our partners, we will relentlessly pursue those who victimize children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
Gonzalez previously taught at the Atlantic Acting School in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, but hasn’t since May 2021 and is no longer connected to the institution, a school spokesperson said in an email.
He was charged with a count each of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. If convicted on the charges, he could face decades in prison.
“Samuel Gonzalez allegedly distributed thousands of pornographic images of infants and minors to an undercover federal agent over a brief period,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia said in a statement.
“Gonzalez’s alleged actions grossly disregarded the victims’ welfare and repeatedly violated their privacy by sharing this twisted material.”
Gonzalez hung up when a Post reporter inquired about the charges against him Monday night. A phone call and email to his public defender were also not returned.
He was released from custody after his arraignment Monday, a US Attorney’s spokesperson said.
