Stoneham Schools Employee Allegedly Pretended to Be 14 to Solicit Nude Photo of Teen Girl

A Stoneham Public Schools employee was 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 Road, of Framingham, was arraigned Wednesday in Framingham District Court on charges of distribution of obscene matter and pose or exhibit a child in the nude, said Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone in a press statement.

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.

“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, the defendant began corresponding online with a 15-year-old female from Maine. The defendant told the victim he was a 14-year-old boy and they exchanged photos, though the defendant did not send an actual photo of himself. The victim and the defendant continued to chat online and the victim sent the defendant illicit photos of herself.

Orloff, who previously served as Arlington Public Schools' assistant director of special education for secondary students in 2011, was unanimously hired as the Stoneham Public Schools Director of Student Services at a salary of $102,000 in June 2011. 

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

In an email to Stoneham Patch Wednesday night, Superintendent Les Olson issued a press statement about the Orloff case.

"This notice will confirm the information released by the Middlesex District Attorney’s office that Steven Orloff, an employee of the Stoneham Public Schools, was arrested (Wednesday) by the Framingham Police Department," reads the statement. "Mr. Orloff has been employed in an administrative capacity as the Director of Student Services and had not been assigned to provide any direct services to students.

"The Stoneham School Department has been cooperating with authorities in this investigation, and Mr. Orloff was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday when school officials became aware of the investigation. Mr. Orloff has been directed to have no contact with the Stoneham Public Schools, its staff, parents or students."

The investigation is ongoing. These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tejal Mehta. The Victim Witness Advocate is Joanne Szeto.