Former Hollywood Teacher Admits To Sexually Abusing Girl

BURBANK, CA — A former Hollywood and Burbank elementary school teacher pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually exploiting an underaged former student by producing pornographic images of her.

Sean David Sigler, 55, who taught fifth-graders at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank and at Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Though the court proceedings were closed, the complaint outlines the action of a predator who used his position as father figure to his former student to abuse her trust. Having gained the trust of the girl's mother, Sigler took his victim to his home, gave her alcohol and pills and then photographed and filmed his sexual activity with her, according to prosecutors. Sigler began having sex with the minor victim when she was just 15 years old.

Sigler, was indicted by a federal grand jury indicted in 2018, and he faces state and federal charges.

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. He acknowledged that some of child pornography he 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 second 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 he produced child pornography.

U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt scheduled a Dec. 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Sigler will face a 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.

Sigler was arrested in January 2018 after the ex-student accused him of engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with her when she was 15. The following month, he pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to nearly two-dozen felony charges, including oral copulation of a person under 18, using a minor for sex acts, unlawful sexual intercourse of a person under 16, sodomy of a person under 18, and two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse of a person under 18, according to the District Attorney's Office. That case is pending.

City News Service and Patch Staffer contributed to this report.