After pleading guilty to child pornography and stalking, a former Edison middle school science teacher lost his teaching license and served eight years in jail.
Julius Coaccioli, 56, was sentenced in August to eight years in jail for possessing child pornography and 18 months for stalking, which will run concurrently with the other sentence. He is being incarcerated at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for Sexual Offenders in Avenel, Woodbridge.
Coaccioli’s maximum release date is July 30, 2030.
Other first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree offenses were dismissed as part of Coaccioli’s February plea agreement. Coaccioli was also sentenced to life on parole, compelled to register as a Megan’s Law sex offender, and barred from public work.
Nicolette Spallanzani, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor, handled the case, while attorney Joie D. Piderit represented Coaccioli.
Spallanzani contacted the New Jersey Department of Education State Board of Examiners on Coaccioli’s plea deal. In September, the board approved Coaccioli’s willingness to give up his teaching qualification.
Coaccioli had a conventional elementary school (K-8) certificate, an elementary school specialized in science grades 5-8 certificate, and a psychology certificate.
Coaccioli, a Woodbridge resident who previously served as a science teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, was charged with first-degree kidnapping in December after an investigation revealed he had a sexual encounter with a pupil ten years ago.
He was also charged with making child pornography, which is a first-degree crime, endangering a child’s welfare and possessing child pornography, all second-degree crimes, aggravated criminal sexual contact, and stalking.
The accusations stemmed from an investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, which also revealed that Coaccioli reportedly had sexual contact with one of his male students in 2013. During a search warrant at Coaccioli’s house, investigators discovered “voluminous” data kept on electronic devices.
Coaccioli was charged with possessing child pornography several months ago, in 2023. At the time, he was accused of secretly photographing dozens of male pupils at school and outside without their permission. According to court documents, he had 20 files containing child sexual abuse evidence on his home computer.
Investigators discovered photographs and videos on the devices “depicting the sexual exploitation of boys as young as approximately 10 years old,” according to the affidavit.
When Coaccioli was arrested, the Edison school superintendent placed him on administrative leave and restricted him from school grounds until the case was handled in court.
Before his arrest, Coaccioli earned $106,369 for the 2022-23 school year, according to a school board agenda.
When a search warrant was executed at his home, Coaccioli “spontaneously uttered ‘I am guilty’ then confessed to knowingly viewing and possessing child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices,” according to the probable cause affidavit, and then told authorities where they could find two cellphones, two laptops, a tablet, and an external hard drive.
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Former Edison teacher sentenced to 8 years for child porn, teaching license revoked