Encanto Elementary teacher arrested by FBI after allegedly confessing to child sex crimes

PHOENIX – WARNING: This story involves allegations of child sexual abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

A Phoenix elementary school teacher was charged on Oct. 7 in federal court after an international undercover investigation revealed he was allegedly trading child sexual abuse material online while boasting about his classroom access.

What we know:

Gabriel Lorenzo Chacon, a 32-year-old third-grade teacher at Encanto Elementary School in the Osborn School District, was taken into federal custody following a raid at his home, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Chacon faces charges of distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession with intent to view child pornography involving victims under the age of 12.

Shocking group chat messages

The backstory:

The investigation began when the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operation Unit received intelligence from an undercover Australian law enforcement officer monitoring an encrypted chat group named “The Ganymedean Brotherhood,” which was dedicated to sharing illicit media involving infants and young children. On Oct. 2, an account operating under the alias “ND Dom” posted a message to the group asking: “Hey friends, let’s say hypothetically you were a teacher and you had 3 hours to kill alone in your classroom afterschool [sic], what would you do,” accompanied by three devil emojis.

Alarmed by the comment, the undercover officer engaged the user in a private four-hour conversation. In the chat, the user stated he was an elementary school third-grade teacher based in Phoenix, disclosed sexual preferences toward young boys and sent the undercover operative five federally chargeable illicit videos showing the abuse of young children. The suspect also sent selfies of himself and provided his username on Telegram as “@switchgabe”.

“Hail satan hail pedo power!” Chacon messaged the undercover officer, according to federal court documents, continuing that if he could perform certain sex acts “between class trust me I would in a heartbeat.” From there, the messages only get more disturbing.

Detectives with the New South Wales Police Force used open-source databases to connect the Telegram username to a phone number registered to Chacon. Investigators subsequently uncovered an Instagram profile with the handle “@learn_with_mr.chacon,” which displayed the bio “Teaching 3rd grade at Encanto Elementary” and photos matching the selfies sent to the undercover officer. The FBI Phoenix Field Office confirmed Chacon’s active employment through Arizona Department of Economic Security records and matched his IP address directly to a Phoenix residence registered under his name with Cox Communications.

The arrest:

Federal agents conducting physical surveillance at Chacon’s home observed him working outside on Oct. 6 before executing a court-authorized search warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Z. Boyle. Agents detained Chacon in his front yard and took him to a law enforcement vehicle for questioning.

‘Just a fantasy’

What he’s saying:

After waiving his Miranda rights, police say Chacon confessed to using the encrypted messaging platform, saving illicit media to his mobile devices and distributing files in the group chat multiple times. Chacon reportedly insisted that his actions were “just a fantasy” and told investigators he never physically abused any minors, never photographed students in his classroom and kept his illicit activities confined strictly to his personal mobile phones. Chacon provided agents with passcodes to his devices and permitted authorities to seize his online accounts as the federal case moves forward.

What we don’t know:

It remains unclear what formal administrative actions the Osborn School District has taken, or whether forensic analysis of Chacon’s seized devices will corroborate his claim that no local students were victimized. FOX 10 has contacted the district for comment and is awaiting a response as of this writing.

What’s next:

Chacon’s first appearance in court is scheduled for Oct. 16.

Map of Encanto Elementary School in Phoenix:

Crime and Public SafetyPhoenixEducationNews