Long Island 'Dance Instructor' Sought Sexual Photos From 10-Year-Old Girls, DA Says

A Long Island man is accused of posing as a dance instructor in order to solicit sexual photos from young girls.

Taner Ocal, age 22, of Lindenhurst, was arraigned on 30 criminal counts, including possessing child pornography, in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, July 11.

According to prosecutors, Ocal contacted two 10-year-old girls in Texas on Instagram in June 2024 while pretending to be a dance instructor.

He allegedly asked them to film themselves dancing and later requested that they send him sexually explicit photos of themselves, prosecutors said.

The children blocked his account and told their parents, who reported the incident to the Fort Worth Police Department. Once investigators determined that Ocal was on Long Island, they referred the case to the Suffolk County Police Department.

Detectives located Ocal on Wednesday, June 12. A check of his phone revealed 22 images and videos of alleged child sexual abuse, prosecutors said. Police also determined that several original images had been deleted.

In court Thursday, Ocal was arraigned on the following charges:

• 22 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child under 16 (felony)
• 8 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child under 17 (felony)
• Tampering with physical evidence (felony)

He was let go on supervised release after posting $25,000 bail. As part of his release conditions, his computer and internet activity will be monitored, and he surrendered his passport.