An assistant principal in Los Angeles is accused of molesting eight students under the age of 11 “over a number of years” in a school office.
David Lane Braff Jr., was arrested Friday and charged with 17 felony counts related to the alleged abuse, which prosecutors said occurred at a Santa Paula elementary school where he worked from 2015 to 2019 as a counselor.
The eight alleged victims are believed to be as young as 6 years old.
Braff, 42, of Thousand Oaks, was currently an assistant principal and school counselor at Ingenium Charter Middle School in Winnetka.
“The defendant is alleged to have molested multiple elementary school children over a number ofyears, shattering the trust placed in him by parents, educators, and the public,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement.
Nasarenko encouraged members of the public to come forward with any additional information about the case.
“Given the defendant’s history of re-occurring access to children, this investigation and prosecution remains ongoing,” he said.
The DA’s office said Braff’s full employment history is not yet known but he is believed to have worked at other southern California schools and may have volunteered with youth groups.
The allegations against Braff note that the manner in which the sick crimes were carried out “indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism” — and that he took advantage of his position of trust among the “vulnerable” victims.
The probe into Braff began last month between the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Paula Police Department.
Braff is being held in Ventura County jail with bail set at $3 million, prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
