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Date: 09-08-2019
Case Style:
United States of America v. Sean David Sigler
Case Number: 2:18-cr-00336-JAK
Judge: 2:18-cr-00336-JAK-1
Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Damaris Diaz and Devon Myers
Defendant's Attorney:
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Description:
Los Angeles, CA - Former Burbank Elementary School Teacher Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Depicting His Former Student
A former elementary school teacher pleaded guilty on September 5, 2009 to federal criminal charges for sexually exploiting his 15-year-old former student by producing pornographic images of her.
Sean David Sigler, 55, of Burbank, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of production of child pornography. Sigler, whom a federal grand jury indicted in May 2018, previously taught fifth-grade students at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank and at Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood.
According to a criminal complaint filed in this case, Sigler became involved in the victim’s personal life after the child left Sigler’s classroom. He then used his position as former teacher, mentor, and father figure to gain the trust of the victim and her parent. Sigler then exploited that trust to gain sexual access to the minor victim. Over the course of 15 months, Sigler regularly transported the victim to his home, where he gave her alcohol and pills and then photographed and filmed his sexual activity with her. Sigler began having sex with the minor victim when she was just 15 years old.
Sigler admitted in his plea agreement that he created multiple sexually explicit videos of the victim, and that he also took sexually explicit photographs of her, beginning when she was 15 years old. Some of child pornography Sigler created included images and videos involving sadomasochistic conduct. Sigler also created child pornography by modifying a pornographic image of the minor victim’s body and digitally superimposing the face of a different underage former student. Sigler’s digital devices contained numerous images and videos of his sexual acts with the victim, as well as more than 5,000 images of child pornography depicting unknown pre-pubescent minors, according to court documents.
As part of his plea agreement, Sigler agreed to forfeit $271,506 in cash seized by the government, which constitutes the proceeds from the sale of the home where Sigler produced child pornography.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt has scheduled a December 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Sigler will face a statutory maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison. Each count of production of child pornography also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Burbank Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched by the Justice Department in 2006 and led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Charges:
18:2251A(b): Obtaining Custody of Minor with Intent To Produce Child Pornography
(1)
18:2251(a)(e): Sexual Exploitation of a Child for the Purpose of Producing a Sexually Explicit Visual Depiction
(2-3)
18:2251(a)(e): Sexual Exploitation of a Child for the Purpose of Producing a Sexually Explicit Visual Depiction
(4-8)
18:2422(b): Enticement
(9)
18:2252A(a)(5)(B),(b)(2): Possession of Child Pornography
(10-11)
Outcome: 09/05/2019 39 MINUTES OF CHANGE OF PLEA Hearing held before Judge John A. Kronstadt as to Defendant Sean David Sigler. Defendant sworn. Court questions defendant regarding the plea. The Defendant Sean David Sigler (1) pleads GUILTY to Count 2-3. The plea is accepted. The Court ORDERS the preparation of a Presentence Report. The Court refers the defendant to the Probation Office for investigation and a complete report and the matter is continued to December 5, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. for sentencing. Sentencing position papers shall be filed November 21, 2019. Counsel shall contact the clerk if counsel do not intend to file sentencing position papers. Other: The hearing is sealed. The transcript of this proceeding shall not be provided to any person other than those present at this hearing without an order from this Court. Court Reporter: Sheri Kleeger. (lom) (Entered: 09/05/2019)
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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