Los Angeles assistant principal arrested for allegedly molesting 8 elementary students that went on for years

David Lane Braff Jr., 42, a former school counselor and assistant principal in Los Angeles County in Southern California, is charged with the serious offense of molesting eight elementary schoolchildren. He has 17 counts of felony charges of the alleged molestation, which was allegedly committed while he was working as a counselor at McKevett Elementary School in Santa Paula. Braff was also an assistant principal in the Los Angeles area.

Facts of the Case

Braff faces 17 counts of felony lewd acts on a child younger than 14 by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. The acts, the charges state, occurred in an office at McKevett Elementary School and involved students who were six and 10 years old. In the months that followed his arrest, investigators identified additional accusers, and the case grew substantially: by late October 2025 prosecutors had expanded the case to 31 felony counts involving roughly a dozen alleged victims, and on April 29, 2026 a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for Braff to stand trial on 33 felony counts spanning McKevett Elementary, the Conejo Recreation and Park District in Thousand Oaks, and schools in the Los Angeles area. He was expected to be arraigned on the additional charges in June 2026.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko expressed deep concern, stating, “The defendant is alleged to have molested multiple elementary school children over a number of years, shattering the trust placed in him by parents, educators, and the public,”

DA Nasarenko urged the public to share any relevant information about the case. He emphasized that the investigation remains active, particularly in light of Braff’s history of working with children and potential connections to other youth-oriented organizations or schools in Southern California.

Braff was initially held in Ventura County jail on $3 million bail. He did not enter a plea at his first court appearance, and his arraignment was continued to December 20, 2024, when he pleaded not guilty to the original 17 felony counts. As the charges multiplied, he was ordered held without bail, and he has pleaded not guilty to the subsequent counts as well. Prosecutors have noted that Braff’s career spanned more than two decades across numerous Southern California school districts and youth-sports organizations — at the time of his arrest he was an assistant principal and counselor at Ingenium Charter Middle School in Winnetka — and they have repeatedly urged anyone with information to come forward, stressing that the investigation remains active.

A Pattern of Alleged Misconduct in Southern California Schools

This case is part of a disturbing string of sexual misconduct reported in Southern California schools, echoing other recent prosecutions of educators across the region. Other recent cases include:

El Monte Union High School District: Nine women sued the district for negligence after it failed to protect them from reputed sexual abuse by teachers.

YULA High School (Los Angeles): Julie Elizabeth Tichon, age 37, a YULA High School West Los Angeles guidance counselor, was arrested in September, 2024 for sexual battery on one 16-year-old male minor.

Orthodox High School of Los Angeles: In May, 2024 two teenagers had accused one teacher of having an “inappropriate relationship of a sexual nature.”

Other Concerns Affecting LAUSD

In addition to these disgusting charges of sexual indiscretions, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is additionally plagued with numerous issues:

• Allegations of Fraud: Some LAUSD teachers allegedly have been instructed they must lie on the job.
• AI Chatbot Scandal: LAUSD’s AI application “Ed” developed by AllHere has been surrounded in controversy after its company founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was charged with fraud for allegedly swindling investors.
• District Elections: There was a 2024 election for a west San Fernando Valley seat on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education rife with scandals.
• Redistricting: A charter amendment seeks to prevent political appointments to the LAUSD redistricting commission and encourage community members to apply.

The larger context is one of a disturbing trend of purported impropriety in Southern California schools. The allegations are serious and implicate the matters of student safety and school district duty to make children safe from harm.