A pervy public school teacher from Brooklyn pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal child porn charges, and could face eight years behind bars.
Joseph Taylor McKeel, 33, a biology teacher at Independence High School in Hell’s Kitchen, admitted in Brooklyn Federal Court Tuesday he kept a cache of illicit images on two thumb drives, some of them of kids younger than 12 years old.
McKeel was arrested on his way to work in March toting a backpack that held one of those thumb drives, as well as a meth pipe, according to the feds. Authorities found a second thumb drive when they searched his Brooklyn home.
“McKeel possessed graphic images of child sexual abuse, including sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, all while employed in a position of trust as a high school biology teacher,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said Tuesday.
Under federal guidelines, he likely faces six-and-a-half to eight years behind bars. He must also register as a sex offender.
The feds initially caught on to McKeel in September 2025, after an undercover Scottish police officer got access to a Telegram group called “Just guys and football” that was a suspected hub for sharing child porn, court documents show.
The undercover then got access to a Zoom call between two of the group’s members, where several child porn images were being broadcast. Investigators traced an IP address of a user on the call, “NYSubSlut,” back to McKeel.
McKeel remains free on $200,000 bond as he awaits his sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Rachel Kovner Sept. 23.