Joseph Hayon, Midwood Republican Who Ran On Family Values Platform, Confesses To Viewing Child Pornography

A Midwood-based GOP operative and perennial candidate for elected office on a “family values” platform, Joseph Hayon, was arrested Friday and allegedly confessed to viewing and possessing child pornography.

Hayon, 38, is charged with one count of possession of a sexual performance of a child after police seized a tablet, video cameras, five desktop computers, two laptops and a mobile phone from his home, according to the Daily News.

The arrest followed a tip put in to TheCyberTipline, which was sent to police. Among the 20 images of child pornography Hayon allegedly admitted to viewing were images of children as young as two years old. All of the images’ subjects were girls.

According to the New York Post, Hayon said he traded the pictures of kids, ages two to 12, in December 2014, using his email account ArtModel@juno.com.

Both outlets report that the judge issued an order of protection, preventing Hayon from getting near his four children, including a 15-month-old daughter.

Bail was set for $50,000, which he paid immediately and was released. His lawyer told the News that he had the cash due to support from “his community.”

Hayon is a Southern Brooklyn political operative well-known in the Orthodox Jewish and conservative circles. He is the founder of the Brooklyn Tea Party and co-founded Jews for Morality, which sought to rally support against politicians who voted in favor of gay marriage.

He ran a shoestring campaign against Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz in 2010, winning 42 percent of the vote. His ultra-conservative platform focused on family values, criticizing his opponent for supporting a bill designed to protect students from harassment and discrimination because it provided protections for homosexual students.

He then ran in 2012 against Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, seeking to unseat her due to her vote for gay marriage.

In 2013, he ran for City Council against David Greenfield, losing the election in a landslide.

Hayon is also credited with helping David Storobin and Bob Turner win their seats in the State Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, respectively, by rallying conservative rabbis to their side.

Hayon’s campaign josephhayon.com">website, which is still live as of this writing, has his name over a banner that reads “Our children are our future,” and touts experience as an elementary school teacher. His statement to would-be readers concludes that he will “be a model by always acting with integrity.” He sought to protect children by “prohibiting merchants from selling any obscene ‘literature'” and make library staff “criminally responsible” if children are exposed to pornography on the library’s computers.