Crime

N.H. high school teacher accused of attempted sex trafficking, allegedly caught in sting by Homeland Security

The man, Stacey Ray Lancaster, was released to home detention while he waits for his trial.

November 19, 2024

3 minutes to read

Five men from New Hampshire and Massachusetts were arrested and charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor, including Stacey Ray Lancaster, a high school teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Lancaster appeared Monday afternoon in federal court and was cleared for release to home detention by Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnstone as he awaits trial. The release came with the conditions that he surrender his passport, stay off social media, avoid unsupervised contact with children, and reside with his mother in Raymond, New Hampshire, according to court documents.

The men were allegedly caught in a sting operation led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in which officers posted a fake advertisement online offering a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old girl for sex and lured the men, all of whom separately answered the advertisement, to a Manchester hotel, where they were arrested.

Lancaster, 46, was working as a teacher at Manchester’s West High School, where he served as a liaison between the school district and the U.S. Navy, overseeing the school’s Navy Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps program. He has been placed on administrative leave by the school, according to Boston Globe reporting.

“At this time we do not have information that connects this arrest to a student within our district,” Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel told the Globe. “The safety of our students and staff is our utmost priority, and in addition to supporting the law enforcement investigation, we are focused on ensuring our students have the support they need.”

The other men — Arthur Picanco, 42, of Bradford, Massachusetts; Ozeias Luiz Guilherme, 38, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Sharath Chandra Bollu, 23, of Chelmsford, Massachusetts; and Koteshwara Raju Jonnagodda, 24, of Chelmsford — were arrested Thursday and Friday, and Jane E. Young, the U.S. attorney for New Hampshire, announced they also appeared in federal court Monday.

Law enforcement posted the advertisement Thursday on a site used to advertise commercial sex, per an affidavit by Lori Robinson, a special agent with Homeland Security assigned to the Manchester field office who was part of the sting.

Lancaster allegedly responded to the ad via text, saying “Can you send me there pictures? Also is cash ok? It be ready around 3:15.” He and the undercover agent allegedly exchanged dozens of texts throughout the day, with him finally requesting a “quick visit” with the 12-year-old girl, named Izzy.

He questioned whether the undercover agent was with the police, allegedly saying via text, “Are you affiliated with any law enforcement?” Once they agreed on $100 for a 15-minute visit, he asked for the location of the hotel and allegedly arrived there at 3:15 p.m. A second undercover agent met him in the parking lot of the hotel, posing as the person who posted the advertisement. He allegedly asked the agent to touch him in a sexual manner, and then did the same to her, to ensure she was not with law enforcement. When he confirmed he was ready to go upstairs to see the 12-year-old girl, he was arrested and taken into custody, authorities said.

Court records show that Lancaster first responded to the online ad that morning, at 7:21 a.m., and arrived at the hotel around 3:15 p.m., 20 minutes after the school day ended. At 2:08 p.m., he allegedly made his choice between the 12-year-old and the 14-year-old, sending a text that said, “Let’s do Izzy.” Video footage from Manchester West High School shows Lancaster leaving the school around 2:50 p.m., and at 2:57 p.m., he allegedly texted the agent, “On my way…where’s it at.”

“It is our reasonable belief the defendant was negotiating for sex with a minor while he was at work at school,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo during Lancaster’s hearing Monday, per Globe reporting.

Lancaster served in the U.S. Navy and lived abroad in Bahrain. He is the father of two minor children, who live with his ex-wife in Bahrain, and the stepfather of his wife’s two minor stepchildren, who live with him and his wife at least part-time.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.