Malden school worker arrested on child exploitation charges

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, September 17, 2026

Anthony Fowlkes, a Malden after-school program employee, was arrested on multiple federal child exploitation charges involving two teenage girls in Michigan. His arrest follows allegations that he coerced the girls to send explicit images and threatened to expose them, leading to his termination and pending extradition to Michigan.

A Malden school employee was arrested Tuesday morning on multiple federal child exploitation charges connected to two teenage girls in Michigan, according to court documents and law enforcement officials. Anthony Fowlkes, who worked in an after-school program, was taken into custody at his home in Malden.

Fowlkes faces five federal charges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, including sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography, and interstate threats. Following his initial hearing in Boston federal court, Fowlkes agreed to voluntary detention and was placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. An extradition order to Michigan is expected to be issued.

Malden Public Schools Superintendent Timothy Sippel confirmed that Fowlkes was immediately terminated by AlphabESt, the organization operating the after-school program. “He no longer has access to any Malden Public Schools facilities,” Sippel said in a statement, adding that there is no evidence linking the charges to any activities within Malden Public Schools. Fowlkes previously worked at Linden School, a magnet school within the district, Sippel noted.

Charging documents allege that the offenses stem from Fowlkes befriending a 15-year-old girl on a video chat application called Monkey App in July. Prosecutors contend that he established a manipulative dominant/submissive relationship, coercing the girl to send explicit photos of herself. He is further accused of persuading that girl to recruit her 16-year-old friend to send similar images.

When the victims attempted to end contact with Fowlkes, he allegedly threatened to share their images on social media. According to an affidavit filed by Special Agent Sarah Pettey of Homeland Security Investigations, Fowlkes told the girls he was 40 years old and discussed having them move to Massachusetts to live with him.

The two girls reported the situation to Waterford, Michigan, police on August 1. Federal authorities subsequently obtained arrest and search warrants. At approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday, agents from Malden Police and Homeland Security executed the warrants at Fowlkes’s residence.

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