Former Wylie Assistant Principal charged with child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas

SHERMAN, Texas - A former high school assistant principal has been arrested and charged with federal child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Zachary Christian Neu, 32, of Richardson, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with two counts of enticement of a minor. Neu appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Aileen Durrett on June 17, 2026.

Neu was an Assistant Principal at Wylie East High School at the time of the alleged offenses.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

This case is being investigated by the Wylie Police Department and the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Calli Bailey.

It is important to note that an indictment or arrest should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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