Paul Geer, a 58-year-old former teacher from Hancock, New York, has been sentenced to 327 months in federal prison after being convicted of coercing and transporting two students across state lines for unlawful sexual activity. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albany Field Office.
Geer was found guilty on March 3, 2025, following a two-week trial. Evidence presented showed that while teaching at the Family Foundation School in Hancock between 1994 and 2001, Geer imposed severe disciplinary measures on students, including food deprivation or forcing children to eat regurgitated food, binding them in rugs and isolating them for long periods, and making them perform physical labor. Prosecutors demonstrated that Geer used his authority to coerce two students into traveling with him—one to Maine and another to Toronto, Canada—where he then sexually abused both children.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered a three-year term of supervised release after Geer’s imprisonment and mandated that he register as a sex offender upon release.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Paul Geer was a monster. As a teacher, Geer was supposed to help his students become better versions of themselves. Instead, Geer used his position of power to torture these children physically, emotionally, and psychologically. When Geer believed his tactics had been sufficiently effective in breaking these children and scaring them into silence, he proceeded to sexually abuse them. These children deserved to be protected, to be cared for, and to be helped, but Geer viewed these children only as a means to his sadistic and predatory end. Geer is now paying the price for his heinous conduct and will spend the next 27 years where he deserves to be, in a cage.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli added: “The depth of Mr. Geer’s sexual, physical, and psychological abuse is so depraved it’s truly hard to comprehend. He was entrusted to care for the students at the Family Foundation school but instead tortured them for years. Now he’s being held accountable for those actions and heading to federal prison. Nothing was more important than delivering justice to those students. Today, our thoughts are with them – and their peers who never got to tell their stories – as they continue to process the unimaginable impact his abhorrent behavior had on their young lives.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with assistance from local law enforcement agencies including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica N. Carbone, Adrian S. LaRochelle, and Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
For further details about Project Safe Childhood visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
