A New York City high school principal dubbed ‘Creepy Bill’ who is accused of being a serial sex abuser will have criminal charges against him dropped if he retires, reports say.
William Bassell, 67, is charged with sex abuse and forcible touching of both staff and a student at the Academy of American Studies school in Queens, New York.
Despite lewd allegations that Bassell used the school as his ‘personal playground for sexual fulfillment’, the principal will only face civil lawsuits and will see his criminal charges dropped if he opts to retire, according to the New York Daily News.
The principal will also have to complete a sex offender counseling program as part of his deal to avoid prosecution, the outlet reported.
Prosecutors said the move was supported by some of Bassell’s alleged victims, who include a former student, two teachers and an assistant principal.
Former student and alleged victim Khaibet Leal said she demands to know if Bassell – who earned more than $226,000 in 2025 – would be allowed to keep his pension if he chooses to retire. He has served as principal for 31 years.
‘While I am grateful that the defendant is required to resign from the DOE, I am eager to know whether he will receive his pension,’ she said.
‘The idea that NYC taxpayers would foot the bill for Bassell’s pension makes my blood boil.’
William Bassell, 67, the principal of the Academy of American Studies school in Queens, New York City, who is accused of being a serial sex abuser, will have criminal charges against him dropped if he retires, reports say
Bassell’s accusers include a former student, two teachers and an assistant principal, with one alleging the principal sent her over 30,000 lewd or inappropriate messages, such as one allegedly reading: ‘You know what you can do with that tongue… don’t you’
It was reported that Bassell was handed a lenient ‘adjournment contemplating dismissal’, which would allow the criminal charges against him to be dropped if he retires.
While the criminal charges may be dropped, Bassell will still face allegations in civil court, with two lawsuits filed last year accusing him of being a serial sexual predator.
The lawsuits alleged that Bassell’s school was his ‘personal playground’ for more than a decade, with the Department of Education also accused of blocking reports about the principal.
One of the lawsuits brought by four women said Bassell’s reputation for ‘sexually harassing, degrading and assaulting female staff and students’ led him to be given the nickname ‘Creepy Bill.’
The lawsuit alleged that Bassell ‘regularly groped women on their inner thighs and other intimate areas of the body, leered at women’s breasts, made unwelcome, vulgar, and sexually charged comments to women, and sent them lascivious text messages.’
In another civil lawsuit, an anonymous school staffer alleged that the Department of Education ignored her complaints when Bassell allegedly sent her more than 30,000 text messages, and also allegedly inappropriately touched her.
In texts revealed in the lawsuit, Bassell allegedly sent in one text: ‘You know what you can do with that tongue don’t you.’
The principal also allegedly begged the woman to give him a ‘hug’ away from school cameras, and for her to send him pictures of herself, the lawsuit alleged.
While the criminal charges may be dropped, Bassell will still face allegations in civil court, with two lawsuits filed last year accusing him of being a serial sexual predator
Bassell earned over $226,000 in 2025, and is one of the longest serving principals in New York at 31 years
Bassell was arrested in May 2025 on allegations that he sexually abused two of the accusers in that lawsuit, an assistant principal and a teacher.
Following reports that Bassell would avoid being criminally prosecuted in exchange for retiring, Assistant District Attorney Bradley King said the two accusers ‘are aware of the proposed disposition and support it.’
Former student Khaibet Leal said her demands to know if Bassell would be allowed to keep his pension were key, but said she was ‘grateful’ that he would be out of the school.
In a civil lawsuit, Leal alleged that Bassell inappropriately touched her on a field trip to the Metropolitan Opera in February 2015, accusing him of rubbing her inner thigh when she fell to the floor with a migraine and stomachache.
In a statement on Thursday, Department of Education spokeswoman Chyann Tull said: ‘This alleged behavior is reprehensible and wholly unacceptable.
‘This individual was immediately removed from students upon learning of these allegations.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Education over whether Bassell will be allowed to keep his pension.
When Bassell was arrested last year, his attorney said he denied the ‘baseless and vindictive criminal allegations’
Brendan Brosh, a spokesman for Queens D.A. Melinda Katz, added in a statement: ‘Following an extensive review of the facts in this case, including conversations with the complaining witnesses, the defendant will enroll in a mandated treatment program, which typically lasts six months, and begin the process of resigning from the Department of Education.
‘If the defendant fails to complete the required treatment in full, he will face trial. We thank the complainants for coming forward which allowed for the just resolution of this case.’
When Bassell was arrested last year, his attorney said he denied the ‘baseless and vindictive criminal allegations’, and said he was cooperating with police ‘to ensure the truth is brought to light.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Assistant Attorney’s office, the Academy of American Studies, and Bassell’s attorney for comment.
