A former elementary school teacher who taught in Burbank and Hollywood was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Thursday for producing pornographic images of his 15-year-old ex-student, officials announced.
Sean David Sigler, 56, of Burbank, pleaded guilty in September 2019 to two counts of production of child pornography, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release.
Sigler previously taught fifth grade at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank and at Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood.
The 56-year-old was the victim’s fifth grade teacher and kept in contact with her after she left his classroom. He used his position as the victim’s former teacher and mentor to gain her and her parent’s trust, then exploited that to gain “sexual access” to the girl, the news release states.
Over the course of 15 months, Sigler regularly took the victim to his home, where he gave her alcoholic beverages and pills, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
He began having sex with the minor when she was 15 years old, officials said.
Between September 2016 and May 2017, he created numerous sexually explicit videos and photos of her.
Sigler also created child pornography by modifying a pornographic image of the victim’s body and digitally superimposing the face of a different underage former student, a January 2018 law enforcement search of Sigler’s digital devices found.
His devices also contained multiple images and videos of his sexual acts with the victim, and more than 5,000 images of child pornography depicting pre-pubescent minors, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Sigler agreed to forfeit $271,506 in cash that was seized by the government, which constitutes the proceeds he made from the sale of the home where he produced child pornography.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who sentenced Sigler, described the defendant’s conduct as “inexcusable,” adding, “Ruining the lives of minors is unspeakable.”
When he was originally indicted in May 2018, a federal grand jury charged Sigler with 11 counts, including obtaining custody and control of a minor with intent to produce child porn, enticement of a minor and possession of child porn.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Burbank Police Department.
