Crime & Safety

Former Arlington Special Education Administrator Allegedly Solicited Nude Photos of Girl, 15

Steven C. Orloff, who was one of the district's assistant directors of special education up until the summer of 2011, pretended to be a 14-year-old boy to solicit the photos, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

A former Arlington special education administrator has been charged with posing a child in the nude after he allegedly pretended to be a 14-year-old boy and solicited indecent images from a 15-year-old girl in Maine.

Steven C. Orloff, 47, 189 Potter Rd., Framingham, was arraigned Wednesday in Framingham District Court on charges of distribution of obscene matter and pose or exhibit a child in the nude, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said in a press release.

Orloff was the Arlington Public Schools' assistant director of special education for secondary students as recently as 2011. In the summer of 2011, he took a job as the director of student services for the Stoneham Public Schools at $102,000 per year.

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Framingham District Court Judge Robert Greco ordered the defendant held on $20,000 cash bail with conditions to commit no new crimes, no use of the Internet, stay away from Stoneham Public Schools, vacate his marital home, no contact with children under 18, and surrender his passport.

The defendant’s next court date is Jan. 14 for a probable cause hearing.

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“This defendant used the Internet to solicit indecent images from a minor,” Leone said. “This is another stark reminder of how the Internet can be used by strangers to contact young, vulnerable victims and place them in dangerous situations.  I applaud the coordinated efforts of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Framingham Police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office that lead to the arrest of this defendant today."

According to authorities, Orloff began corresponding online with a 15-year-old female from Maine. He told the victim he was a 14-year-old boy and they exchanged photos, though he did not send an actual photo of himself, according to the Middlesex DA's office. Orloff and the victim continued to chat online, and the victim then sent him illicit photos of herself, according to the office.

According to the Middlesex DA's office, he works within Stoneham's central office and did not have direct contact with students. He has been placed on administrative leave.

The investigation is ongoing, and these charges are allegations and Orloff is presumed innocent until proven guilty, according to the office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tejal Mehta. The victim witness advocate is Joanne Szeto.


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