Hollywood Teacher Indicted For Allegedly Molesting Former Student

LOS ANGELES, CA — A former elementary school teacher in Hollywood and Burbank was indicted Thursday for allegedly molesting a former student, producing of child pornography and hoarding a trove of pornographic images of unknown children. Investigators who raided his home also found several non-pornographic photos of young girls taken in his classroom along with images he had obtained from former students' social media accounts.

Prosecutors allege 53-year-old Sean David Sigler, who taught at Gardner Street Elementary in Hollywood and Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank, gained the trust of a 15-year-old former Gardner student and began molesting her. According to federal prosecutors, he brought her to his house, plied her with alcohol and pills and then photographed sexual activity between them. Sigler used his position as the girl's former teacher to gain her trust, then "exploited that trust to gain sexual access," prosecutors contended in the indictment. .

Sigler faces 11 counts, including obtaining custody and control of a minor with intent to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography.

Sigler worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District from March 1998 to June 2016, and then began teaching at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank.

"There is no information to suggest any of the alleged incidents occurred in a Burbank school," said Burbank Police Department Sgt. Derek Green. "At this time, the allegations against Sigler appear to be isolated."

Sigler had been arrested and charged earlier this month by the U.S. Attorney's Office with a single count of producing child pornography. An arraignment date for Sigler has not yet been set. According to prosecutors, the charge of obtaining control of a minor to produce child porn carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. Producing child porn carries a sentence of between 15 and 30 years, the enticement charge can lead to 10 years to life behind bars, while possessing child porn carries a sentence of up to 10 years.

Sigler was arrested in January after the ex-student accused him of engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with her when she was 15. He faces almost two-dozen felony charges including multiple counts of using a minor for sex acts and unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under 16, and one count of possessing over 600 images of child pornography, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Sigler worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District from March 1998 to June 2016, and then began teaching at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank, authorities said. He was placed on leave from his job after his arrest, and a district spokeswoman said he is no longer employed by the Burbank Unified School District.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Shutterstock