A former high school basketball coach in the St. Louis area has pleaded guilty to attempting to receive child pornography after admitting he sent sexually explicit photos and messages to students.
Lee Anthony Bogan Jr., 29, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Monday. According to court documents, Bogan used a social media application starting in the spring of 2024 to contact high school students. In these communications, he expressed romantic and sexual interest and sent images of his genitals, believing the app would automatically delete them after they were viewed. However, the minors saved screenshots of the images before they disappeared.
Bogan, known as “Coach Teejay,” worked at a local high school and lived in Jennings. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 6. The offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and could result in up to 20 years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Ladue Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice," according to officials involved with the prosecution. "Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims." More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
