Clawson man gets 40 years for paying Metro Detroit students for nude photos over 12 years

A federal judge sentenced a former Metro Detroit substitute teacher to 40 years in prison this week for using Snapchat to solicit nude photos and sexually explicit videos from more than a dozen minors over roughly 12 years.

Timothy Patrick Higle, 34, of Clawson, pleaded guilty in April to multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Federal prosecutors said Higle targeted victims between the ages of 14 and 17, using cash payments, drugs, alcohol and extortion to coerce them into producing explicit images and videos.

Court documents said Higle built relationships with the minors and then used that trust to pressure them into producing explicit material. Prosecutors said he directed victims in specific detail about the poses and body parts he wanted photographed, then threatened to post the images publicly and continued to harass victims across multiple social media platforms when they tried to refuse.

One victim told investigators Higle gave them a vape pen loaded with marijuana in exchange for images. Other victims received cash payments ranging from $10 to $75. Prosecutors said Higle also sent nude photos of himself to several victims and propositioned them for sex, at times offering between $500 and $1,000 for sexual acts.

U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. called Higle "a scheming pervert who hurt children for more than a decade" in a statement announcing the sentence.

The case became public after one victim contacted the Michigan State Police in August 2024. State police notified the FBI about the investigation that December, and Higle was charged in February 2025.

Higle worked as a long-term substitute choir teacher for secondary students in the East China School District in St. Clair County from December 2017 through the end of the 2018-19 school year. When charges were filed, the district said it received a subpoena for his personnel records in January 2025 but was not told the reason for the request or any background on the investigation.

Superintendent Suzanne M. Cybulla said in a statement that the district runs background checks on all staff, including substitutes, through databases maintained by the Michigan State Police and the FBI, and also contacts past employers to check for prior misconduct. "We have no information to believe that the actions alleged about this individual involve the East China School District," Cybulla said, adding that the district would cooperate fully with law enforcement.

The 40-year sentence resolves the federal case against Higle. It was not immediately clear from court records whether he will be subject to supervised release or additional registration requirements following his prison term. Investigators have not said whether any of Higle's victims attended schools beyond the East China district, where his substitute teaching assignment was based.