Today, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Christopher Kenji Bendann to 35 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Bendann, a former teacher at The Gilman School in Baltimore, was found guilty of several charges including sexual exploitation of a child and cyberstalking.
The verdict came after a three-day trial where evidence showed that between September 16, 2017, and February 9, 2019, Bendann produced videos involving sexually explicit conduct with a minor male student. These videos were discovered on his iCloud account leading to charges of possession of child-sexual-abuse material.
Further evidence presented at the trial revealed that from May to December 2022, Bendann cyberstalked the same victim through electronic messages demanding contact and explicit images under threat of making previous images public. Upon his arrest on February 3, 2023, multiple depictions of child-sexual-abuse material were found on his devices.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. It involves cooperation between federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron acknowledged the efforts of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office, Baltimore County Police Department, and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Kim Y. Hagan prosecuted the case with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman.
For more details about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources provided by the Department of Justice, visit their official website.
