A former Burbank and Hollywood elementary school teacher pleaded guilty Thursday to coaxing a 15-year-old former student using alcohol and pills, then photographing sexual acts with her, federal prosecutors said.
Sean David Sigler, 55, of Burbank, was convicted on two felony counts of production of child pornography after entering a plea agreement with prosecutors, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Sigler — who used to teach fifth-grade at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank and at Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood — involved himself in the victim’s personal life after she left his classroom, officials said.
After using his role as a mentor and father figure to gain the trust of the girl and her parent, Sigler began taking the teen to his home. There, he gave her pills and alcohol before filming and photographing their sex acts, according to a criminal complaint.
Some of the child porn Sigler created was sadomasochistic in nature, while other times he superimposed the face of another underage former student over the 15-year-old victim’s body, prosecutors said.
Along with videos and images involving the victim, investigators say they uncovered more than 5,000 images depicting other, unknown minors.
As part of his plea agreement, Sigler will have to forfeit $271,506 in cash earned from the sale of the home where he shot the child porn.
When he was originally indicted in May 2018, a federal grand jury charged him 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.
Sigler is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 5, when he’ll face between 30 and 60 years in federal prison.