Former Washington County teacher who catfished students sentenced 33 years in prison
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. - A former high school teacher in Washington County has been sentenced to 33 years in federal prison for exploiting students by catfishing them to obtain explicit images, which he then distributed on social media, according to U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia.
Michael Allen Dendy, 33, from Milledgeville, received his sentence on Nov. 7 from U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell, who imposed a 400-month term followed by ten years of supervised release. Dendy, who previously pleaded guilty to charges of producing and distributing child pornography, will also be required to register as a sex offender after serving his sentence. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
Dendy's activities came to light in December 2022, when the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received multiple complaints about explicit images of local high school students circulating on the social media platform Discord. These images were uploaded to an account named "WACO Confessions," which was traced to Dendy, a teacher at Washington County High School at the time. Investigators found that Dendy used the alias "TheOneYouLeftBehind" to operate the account, which he accessed primarily from his residence.
Dendy admitted in court to using false identities on social media platforms, such as Instagram, to trick minors into sending him explicit images. He acknowledged creating "WACO Confessions" and said that he started his scheme in 2016 while living in Mississippi, continuing it as he moved to Maryland and then Georgia. His teaching career spanned several schools, including Griffin High School in Georgia, St. Charles High School in Maryland, and Starkville High School in Mississippi, before he joined Washington County High.
Authorities who executed a search warrant at Dendy's residence recovered electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and records of chat conversations with identified victims. Evidence showed that in January 2023, Dendy persuaded a 16-year-old student to engage in sexually explicit acts, record them, and share the content via social media. In December 2022, he also uploaded a video of a minor aged 14 or 15 engaging in explicit behavior.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary highlighted the egregious nature of Dendy's betrayal of his position of trust, noting that federal law enforcement will continue to hold child predators accountable. Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) emphasized the commitment to protecting vulnerable youth, and Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran praised the dedication of the officers who worked on the case.
Dendy's case was investigated by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and HSI, with assistance from other agencies including the Leesburg Police Department in Virginia and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney