A school district official in Illinois allegedly posed as his wife’s ex-husband on Tinder to trick women into meeting up for sex and was later caught during a nail-biting sting operation.
In a scandal that has rocked the Moline-Coal Valley school district, board member Jason Farrell, 39, is accused of creating a dating profile using photographs of Mathew Harris, 40, a military veteran.
Harris was previously married to Farrell’s current wife, but they divorced about eight years ago.
Farrell made up stories about his service in Iraq while trying to “solicit women for sex,” according to Harris, who shared screenshots of lurid Tinder conversations involving the fake account.
But father-of-four Farrell’s alleged scheme came to an abrupt end after a woman tipped off Harris about the fake profiles and the veteran planned a sting operation to expose him.
In a scandal that has rocked the Moline-Coal Valley school district, board member Jason Farrell (pictured) is accused of creating a dating profile using photographs of his wife’s ex-husband.
Mathew Harris (left) said his fiancée Heather (right) was contacted by a woman who matched the fake Tinder account and they then planned a sting operation.
Mathew Harris shared screenshots of messages sent by the fake Tinder profile, which was allegedly created by Jason Farrell to ‘solicit women for sex’.
The Tinder profile allegedly created by Farrell includes photos of his wife’s ex-husband, Mathew Harris, who claims Farrell posed as him to meet women for sex.
Strange events have gripped the small town of Moline in Rock County, western Illinois, where Farrell has refused to resign from his school board seat despite demands from his colleagues and parents.
A Facebook page has also been set up for residents to campaign for Farrell’s removal.
He denies the allegations and his wife is believed to remain unconditionally by his side.
Harris first raised the alarm about Farrell and the fake Tinder profile in late March, when a woman who matched the account approached his fiancée, Heather.
The woman believed the profile was proof that Harris was cheating. In reality, it is claimed that the account was created by Farrell for catfish women.
Screenshots show that messages sent by the fake Tinder profile include “I want to take you out for drinks and then take you to bed” and “I want to kiss every inch of that body.”
Harris and his fiancée asked the woman to continue messaging the account and arrange a meeting with the culprit so they could confront him. They already suspected Farrell was involved.
Mathew Harris claims he caught Jason Farrell red-handed after a woman who matched his Tinder profile agreed to help with a sting operation
Farrell allegedly sent this selfie to a woman he met through her Tinder account, although he reveals that he is not the person in the profile.
“The woman he matched with on Tinder agreed to meet him assuming it was actually me,” Harris said.
“I agreed to wait outside with Heather so we could all see once and for all that this person wasn’t me, but more importantly, find out who he really was.”
Before the date, Farrell even sent the woman a selfie, revealing himself to be a different man than the one in the profile.
In footage shared on YouTube, the woman secretly recorded on her cellphone spending nearly 15 minutes with Farrell on the “date” before Harris burst in to confront him.
While Harris’ fiancé records on his cell phone, he calls Farrell and reads some of the messages sent by the fake Tinder profile.
Thousands of people have since viewed the YouTube video and demanded that Farrell resign from the school board. An emergency no-contact order was also implemented prohibiting him from contacting Harris.
“The man created a fake Tinder account, soliciting women for sex, meeting them as me, trying to convince them it was me even though he looks nothing like me,” Harris said.
“There are women out there that I could have hurt that I don’t even know, that think it was me and that’s not fair.”
He added: “He is trying very, very badly to tell stories from my life, interpreting them as if they were his own.”
Harris said he wants to file criminal charges against Farrell, but the Moline Police Department told DailyMail.com it has not received a report of the incident.
Harris posted a video on YouTube of the moment she allegedly confronted Farrell.
Farrell has refused to resign from the Moline-Coal Valley school board and insists the allegations against him are false.
During a Moline Coal Valley school board meeting Monday, members voted unanimously to censure Farrell and ask the regional superintendent to remove him.
But Farrell has refused to resign. He claims the audio and video of the operation were falsified.
“I have no intentions of resigning from my position on the school board,” he said in a statement issued April 4.
‘The accusations made against me are false. They have not accused me of any crime, but have tried me solely through social media.
“My wife and I, with the advice of legal counsel, will explore all options we have to respond accordingly to such egregious allegations.”
School board President Andrew Waeyaert said at the recent meeting: “We are neither a court nor a jury, but the alleged conduct is deeply disturbing and has resulted in the district being placed in a terrible light.”
‘The board and administration have been inundated with inquiries, complaints and FOIA requests regarding this matter, and it has monopolized all of our time.
“This situation and its impact have taken countless hours away from our mission, which is to serve children and families.”
Farrell did not respond to a request for comment.