CHANTILLY (VA)
Loudoun Times-Mirror [Leesburg, VA]
February 15, 2026
By Karen Graham and Evan Goodenow
A South Riding man apologized for soliciting underage girls while teaching at St. Veronica Catholic School in Chantilly and sought leniency at his Feb. 12 sentencing in Loudoun Circuit Court.
“I stand here before you embarrassed and humbled. My actions show a lack of character and self control and I do take full responsibility,” Nicholas Martin Zimmerman told Chief Judge Douglas L Fleming Jr. “Not a day goes by that I don’t regret all of it. The guilt I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Zimmerman, 36, taught at the school from August 2015 through February 2025. He pleaded guilty in September to two counts of electronic solicitation of a minor and six counts of possession of child pornography.
Zimmerman was arrested in April. The investigation began last February when a parent showed the St. Veronica principal photos from a sexually explicit Snapchat conversation between Zimmerman and a former student.
Zimmerman sought time served and probation, but Fleming sentenced him to 15 years with eight suspended. Upon release, he will be on five years of supervised probation and must register as a sex offender for life.
Fleming sentenced at the midpoint of Virginia sentencing guidelines. They recommended a minimum of one year and five months, a midpoint of seven years, and maximum of nine years.
Fleming said here was an “above average risk” Zimmerman would re-offend. He said the most aggravating factor in the case was Zimmerman being in a position of trust.
“Another factor is it was a persistent course of conduct involving multiple minor victims and the methods involved were intentional, thought out and deliberate,” Fleming said. “His reaction to his crimes in the psych evaluation was aggravating and showed tone deafness as to the impact on the victims.”
Between August 2023 and February of last year, Zimmerman communicated on Instagram and Snapchat with the student, beginning after her eighth grade graduation, according to court documents. The girl said he sent her covered and uncovered images of his genitals and requested explicit images from her. She said he sent her money through the Venmo app asking she spend it on lingerie and send an image of her wearing it, but she refused.
Search warrant affidavits revealed Zimmerman made eight payments to the girl between January 2024 and February 2025. The warrants also documented 1,000 notifications between the two during the same time period.
Testimony during the sentencing included information that Zimmerman had a sexual relationship with a woman while she was underage and he was a teacher in Pennsylvania, prior to his moving to Virginia, and that he was fired for his behavior.
Defense attorney Carlos E. Wall sought a sentence at the low end of the guidelines. In a sentencing memorandum, Wall wrote Zimmerman was remorseful and that a psychosexual report showed he didn’t have pedophilic disorder or hebephilia (a sexual attraction to prepubescent children in early adolescence), and was a low risk of re-offending. He said Zimmerman had completed multiple rehabilitative courses while jailed, led Bible study sessions and used his commissary account to buy socks for other inmates.
In court, Wall said Zimmerman’s “gross miscalculation and lifestyle choices” have not only cost him his freedom, but his marriage. He said Zimmerman’s wife, who taught at St. Veronica, no longer wants him in her life.
“He has a desire to be a better person,” Wall said. “He’s a devastated human being who has lost everything he cared about in his life, except for his faith.”
Elizabeth J. Lancaster, a Loudoun deputy commonwealth’s attorney, sought a sentence at the high end of the guidelines. She said Zimmerman has a high risk of reoffending and noted that after authorities seized Zimmerman’s electronic devices, he purchased another phone and was scrolling through pornographic images when arrested. She said the pyschosexual report showed Zimmerman didn’t understand the severity of his crimes.
“Not once is there an acknowledgement of the pain he caused these children. The message has to get delivered that we will not tolerate this behavior,” Lancaster said. “They are children and their brains aren’t fully formed.This is not one mistake but it was repeated over and over and over.”