Foxes in the American Henhouse > Music teacher with CSAM; Another candidate for Evil Mother of the Year; Soldier convicted of CSA; Lawyer hires Ghislaine's lawyer for CSA case; Male daycare worker guilty of CSAM

 

Fair Oaks music teacher arrested after child sexual abuse material found

FAIR OAKS, Calif. —

A Fair Oaks music teacher has been arrested after investigators with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force discovered child sexual abuse material during a search of his home on Wednesday, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities said 43-year-old Jiamo Chen operated a home music studio and taught children, some as young as 4 years old. Investigators said they have not found evidence of inappropriate physical contact with a child but are asking any parents of former students with concerns to contact law enforcement.

Chen is believed to have been teaching music in the Sacramento area for about 10 years, authorities said.

Delta Pilot Arrested at SFO Last Year Convicted of Child Sex Abuse, Faces 230 Years

By Leanne Maxwell•October 2, 2026 · 4:19 PM PDT•2 min read

An airline pilot who was arrested last summer at SFO was convicted Monday of 20 counts of sexually abusing a child, while the girl’s mother was convicted on the same charges, and both now face up to 230 years to life.

Jurors in Contra Costa County Superior Court convicted Rustom Bhagwagar, 35, and Jennifer Spitz Powell, 46, Monday, finding both guilty of 20 counts of sexual abuse of a child under 14, as SFGate reports. The verdict came more than a year after Bhagwagar was arrested at SFO, where authorities were waiting for the Delta Air Lines pilot after he landed on a flight from Minneapolis.

As SFist reported at the time, Bhagwagar was escorted out of the cockpit in handcuffs by officers from the Department of Homeland Security, San Francisco Police Department, and Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office last July.

The arrest stemmed from an investigation by Contra Costa County authorities into allegations that Bhagwagar had repeatedly sexually abused a girl over a five-year period. Investigators said the abuse began in 2017, when the girl was seven, and continued several times a week, sometimes multiple times a day, until she was 10.

The girl also told investigators that Powell, her mother, was present for much of the abuse and that she had been warned to keep it secret or risk being taken away. The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said Powell participated in the abuse with Bhagwagar.

After investigators confronted Powell, she agreed to participate in a recorded phone call with Bhagwagar, who knew he was under investigation. During the call, he appeared to acknowledge the abuse and agreed to meet Powell in the Bay Area later that month to discuss a plan.

The couple had been in a relationship during the years the abuse was alleged to have occurred, and the abuse reportedly ended after they broke up. Bhagwagar, who was living in Florida, also had ties to San Ramon, Castro Valley, and Texas. Powell is reportedly a Walnut Creek resident.

SFGate reports that the child testified during the trial. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement that the child “showed extraordinary courage by testifying in court and facing the people who used duress to harm her.”

Bhagwagar and Powell will remain in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility while they await sentencing. Each faces a maximum sentence of 230 years to life in state prison.

Former U.S. Army soldier convicted on 9 of 10 child sex abuse counts in federal court

Jordan Anthony Pearce, 30, was found guilty on 9 of 10 federal counts of sexual abuse and exploitation of two minor victims, including production of child pornography and enticement of a minor.

FORT HOOD, TX — A former U.S. Army soldier has been convicted by federal jury in Waco in connection to child sex abuse.

Jordan Anthony Pearce, 30, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was found guilty on 9 of 10 counts related to the sexual abuse and exploitation of two minor victims, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced.

The jury found Pearce guilty on charges including abusive sexual contact, sexual abuse of a minor, production of child sex abuse materials, distribution of visual depictions of sexual activities by a minor, and enticement of a minor. He was acquitted on one count of transportation of a minor.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Pearce began sexually abusing a minor at his Fort Hood residence when the victim was 11 years old. The victim reported the abuse to a friend and later to school and law enforcement officials.

In April 2023, the victim spoke to a forensic interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in Bell County and stated that Pearce told her she would not be believed if she told anyone about the abuse.

Shortly after the first reports, a second minor victim was taken to the CAC, where she also detailed how she had been sexually abused by Pearce at his residence and other locations when she was between the ages of 13 and 16. A search of the second victim's cell phone revealed text messages between Pearce and the minor, along with a sexually explicit video Pearce had requested from the child victim.

Pearce was indicted on April 8, 2025, and arrested on May 30, 2025. A second superseding indictment charged him with 10 counts.

Boca Raton lawyer Darryl Kogan charged in child sex abuse images case

The same attorney who represents Ghislaine Maxwell is now defending the longtime South Florida lawyer, Darryl Kogan.

Hannah Phillips

Palm Beach Post

Oct. 2, 2026, 5:53 p.m. ET

Darryl Kogan, a longtime Boca Raton personal injury lawyer, has been charged in federal court with trying to view child pornography.

Court filings reveal little about the case. Federal prosecutors submitted a one-page charging document Thursday indicating only that Kogan tried to access the images in February while in Broward County. If convicted, he faces a potential prison sentence between five and 20 years.

Kogan, who retired without fanfare this year, appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning. Magistrate Judge Jared Strauss set his bail at $250,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport, remain in South Florida and avoid firearms.

He is represented by Ghislaine Maxwell's Miami-based attorney, David Markus, who successfully defended another Boca Raton man against federal child sex abuse allegations in March.

Markus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kogan co-founded the firm Kogan & DiSalvo in 1994. The firm changed its name to Baker & DiSalvo this year. The Florida Bar website indicates he is "permanently retired" and no longer eligible to practice law in Florida, though it lists no disciplinary issues.

Minneapolis daycare worker pleads guilty to child porn charges

• Mike Bunge
• Oct 2, 2026
 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A Minneapolis daycare worker pleaded guilty to making and sharing child pornography.

Eric Phillip Allen, 41, admitted to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. He entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel.

Allen worked at a Minneapolis daycare from January through early August 2024. Court documents say he photographed and video recorded children enrolled at the facility for his own sexual gratification.

He also shared other child sexual abuse material online and made sexual comments about the children, according to prosecutors. Allen was originally charged in August 2024.

"Today's guilty plea is one step closer to holding the defendant accountable for his heinous acts against the most vulnerable," U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said. "There is no higher priority for my office than safeguarding children and prosecuting those who harm them."

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said protecting children is one of the agency's highest priorities. "This was a vile crime against the most vulnerable members of society, in a place where they should be safe," Evans said.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated the case. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled later.