Travis Barr Longo, the 46-year-old vice president of the Cazenovia Central School District Board of Education in central New York, was arrested by state police on child exploitation charges, and now faces federal counts for receiving and possessing child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants.
Longo, a self-described drag performer who used the stage name "Anita Buffem" and called himself the first drag artist elected to a public school board, was taken into custody by the New York State Police following an investigation into sexually explicit digital communications with a child under the age of 12. He faces four state counts of endangering the welfare of a child and separate federal charges that carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison.
The arrest of a sitting school board official on charges this severe, involving infants and a child known to the accused, is exactly the kind of case that forces communities to ask who is being trusted with authority over children, and how.
The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that a search of Longo's cell phone on June 18 uncovered "numerous images and videos of child pornography," including, in the office's words, "several videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants that Longo had received from other users of an internet-based messaging application." Fox News Digital reported on the arrest and the federal charging announcement.
Court records obtained by WSYR-TV revealed additional details. Police "recovered other chats on the device in which Longo discussed with other individuals his sexual interest in children, including a minor male child known to him and to whom he has had access."
That last detail is the one that should keep every parent in the Cazenovia district awake at night. This was not a case of passive possession. The chats, as described in court records, show a pattern, conversations with others about sexual interest in children, including a specific child Longo knew and had contact with.
The New York Post reported that the material found on Longo's phone included videos and photos of infants being sexually abused. HSI Buffalo Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone put it plainly:
"These allegations against a school board vice president strike at the heart of parents' trust and fears."
The Cazenovia Board of Education moved quickly once the arrest became public. The board unanimously voted Monday evening to begin formal removal proceedings against Longo. Before he could be removed, Longo resigned that same evening. Superintendent Kevin Linck announced the resignation in a post, and the board confirmed it had demanded Longo step down immediately.
The board's statement did not hold back:
"The Board of Education has been shocked, deeply saddened, and outraged by these serious allegations, and we extend our support and assistance to all children and families involved."
The statement continued: "Our response reflects the Board of Education's deep and unwavering commitment to every child's safety, and well being. Our charge to protect every student in our District is our moral and ethical duty, along with a responsibility to the sworn oath that is our legal obligation."
The board also gave Longo a noon Monday deadline to resign before the district would pursue state-mandated removal processes. He resigned that evening. Superintendent Linck stated that Longo would not be permitted on any school grounds or at any district-sponsored events, as Breitbart reported.
The case echoes a broader pattern of school officials facing serious criminal allegations while holding positions of trust over children. A Georgia teacher was recently sentenced to prison after admitting to sexually abusing a 15-year-old student, another reminder that the people entrusted with access to children are not always who communities believe them to be.
Longo won election to the Cazenovia school board in May 2024, securing a three-year term. He claimed to be "the 1st Drag Artist elected to official position in U.S.", a claim the article does not independently verify, but one Longo promoted publicly. His election attracted attention, and his drag persona was a visible part of his public identity.
None of that is relevant to the criminal charges. What matters is that a man who sought and won a position of authority over a school district, a role that carries direct responsibility for the safety and welfare of children, now stands accused of possessing child pornography depicting the abuse of infants and engaging in sexually explicit communications with a child under 12.
The Cazenovia district, a small community in the center of New York state, is now left to reckon with that reality. The board's statement acknowledged the weight of the moment while deferring to the courts: "We stand strong in condemning these alleged actions, while also acknowledging that it is the responsibility of the judicial system to determine guilt or innocence."
School boards across the country have faced their own crises of accountability in recent years. An Arizona school board member faced calls to resign after disgraceful conduct at a public meeting, a far less serious matter, but part of the same erosion of public confidence in the people who govern local education.
Longo made a virtual federal court appearance on Saturday on the charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. The federal charges alone carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison upon conviction. The four state counts of endangering the welfare of a child represent separate proceedings.
Several questions remain unanswered. The specific federal statutes under which Longo was charged have not been detailed in available reporting. Whether Longo has entered a plea on either the state or federal charges is unclear. The identity of the minor male child described as "known to him and to whom he has had access" has not been publicly disclosed, nor has the internet-based messaging application used to receive the child pornography.
The New York State Police investigation that led to the arrest was described as a child exploitation inquiry. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York issued a press release on the federal charges, identifying Longo as a "Madison County man."
Fox News Digital reported that the Cazenovia Board of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment beyond its public statement.
When public officials who hold authority over children's education and safety are arrested on charges this grave, the institutional response matters. The Cazenovia board acted unanimously and swiftly, a standard that other districts facing leadership crises and criminal investigations have not always met.
Longo's arrest raises a question that goes beyond one small district in central New York. School board elections are low-turnout, low-attention affairs. Candidates run with thin scrutiny. Communities trust that the people who volunteer for these roles have the interests of children at heart.
That trust is the foundation of local governance. When it is violated, when a sitting board vice president is found with videos of infant sexual abuse on his phone and chats about his sexual interest in a child he had access to, the damage extends far beyond one resignation letter.
The broader pattern of educators and school officials facing arrest for conduct involving children is not new, but each case carries its own weight. A Florida substitute teacher was recently fired and arrested after conduct in a classroom, a different category of offense, but part of the same public demand that schools hold their people accountable, immediately and without excuses.
The Cazenovia board's statement said the right things. The courts will now determine whether the evidence supports conviction. If it does, Longo faces years in federal prison, a consequence that, for once, matches the gravity of the alleged conduct.
Parents in Cazenovia and everywhere else deserve to know that the people who govern their children's schools can pass a basic test: they are not a danger to the children they are supposed to protect. That should not be a high bar. It should not need to be said. And yet here we are, saying it again.
