Suffolk County Community College professor charged in plot to meet minor

A Suffolk County Community College adjunct history professor trusted with teaching Long Island students is now facing federal charges after prosecutors say he tried to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex. Philip Schuler, a Port Jefferson resident, was arraigned on April 10 in Central Islip on a seven-count indictment, and U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks ordered him detained pending trial.

Federal filings say the case began in October 2025, when an FBI undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old named Chloe on Discord began exchanging messages with Schuler almost daily. Prosecutors say the conversations became sexually explicit, including an alleged video call in which Schuler masturbated, an explicit photograph he allegedly sent, and messages about taking the girl's virginity. Investigators say Schuler rented a motel room earlier that day, then drove to Edward W. Cahill Memorial Park in Valley Stream on Jan. 7, 2026, where he was arrested after arriving with a motel key and items intended for the meeting.

The tip that led the FBI to Schuler came from The Decoy Project, Inc., a Florida nonprofit formed in 2025 that says it identifies online predators and forwards leads to law enforcement. The group says it works with police rather than confronting suspects publicly, part of a larger network of decoy operations that has grown alongside the rise in online child-exploitation cases.

Suffolk County Community College moved quickly after the arrest. In a statement, the college said, "Upon learning of the adjunct part-time instructor’s arrest and these allegations, he was immediately placed on leave and removed from all duties pending investigation. He is no longer an employee of Suffolk County Community College." The school’s response puts the focus squarely on institutional accountability, as public colleges across Suffolk County face pressure to tighten vetting and oversight for part-time faculty who have direct access to students.

The federal charges carry serious penalties. The enticement count invokes a statute that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and can extend to life, while the child-pornography counts add further exposure if Schuler is convicted. Federal prosecutors and FBI officials have described the case as part of a wider effort to identify adults who use social media and messaging platforms to target minors before an in-person meeting can turn into a crime.