A former Bronx charter middle school music teacher has admitted to sexually abusing five girls — one of whom was as young as 12 — while they were his students around two decades ago, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jesus Concepcion, 50, will face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison at his sentencing for the years-long scheme to groom and abuse the girls when he taught and was the orchestra conductor at the KIPP Academy Middle School from 2000 through 2007, the Manhattan US Attorney’s office said.
Concepcion — who went by “Mr. C” — singled the middle schoolers out, lavishing attention on them and showering them with money, clothing, jewelry and other gifts.
He manipulated the young girls into believing they were in romantic relationships with him before sexually abusing them — even giving some of them cellphones so they could secretly arrange meetups, prosecutors alleged.
The creep also plied some of his victims with alcohol to help him carry out the abuse, which took place in the school’s music room, in a backroom of the auditorium, in cars, motels and at his home, the feds said.
He even traveled to Connecticut to visit one of the girls at her high school and sexually abuse her after she graduated from KIPP, according to prosecutors.
Concepcion allegedly forced himself at least once on another girl at a New Jersey motel where he had brought her from the Bronx.
An ex-Bronx charter middle school music teacher copped to sexually abusing five underage girls and will face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.Matthew McDermott
He also groomed another victim, a 13-year-old girl, by sending her hundreds of text messages for months before meeting her during school and kissing her on the mouth, prosecutors said.
Concepcion, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, was arrested in August 2021.
He pleaded guilty Monday to charges of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and traveling with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity with a minor.
Jesus Concepcion, 50, was the orchestra conductor at the KIPP Academy Middle School from 2000 through 2007 after being cuaght in a years-long scheme to groom and abuse the girls.Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office, N.C.
“Jesus Concepcion engaged in a years-long scheme to manipulate, exploit, and sexually abuse young girls at the middle school where he taught,” Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Tuesday.
“Concepcion abused his position of trust as the students’ teacher to lull them into a false sense of security and to then exploit them for his own sexual gratification.”
Concepcion faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years behind bars and a maximum of life imprisonment at his Dec. 11 sentencing.
He was fired from KIPP, the school told parents at the time of his arrest.
And the teacher previously resigned for “personal reasons” in March 2001 from Bronx Preparatory Charter School where some students described him as a “father figure,” according to a report by the New York Times.
Before Bronx Prep, Concepcion had worked a prior stint at KIPP.
Lawyers for Concepcion didn’t return a request for comment Tuesday.
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