Photo: Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A former music teacher who contracted with a number of school districts in Southern California is expected to be sentenced today for producing child pornography.
John Zeretzke, 62, of Ventura, pleaded guilty last year in Los Angeles federal court to one count of production of child pornography. He previously pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to six state counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts with minors under the age of 14 years old.
According to his plea agreement in the federal case, from December 2016 to February 2017, Zeretzke used a computer and the internet to communicate with a female minor and coerced her into producing child pornography. The victim did not live in California at the time.
Zeretzke faces a sentence of 15 to 30 years in federal prison.
Zeretzke was previously sentenced to 18 years in state prison, and federal prosecutors are recommending an 18-year federal prison sentence that will run concurrently with his state sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The defense is asking for 15 years and three months behind bars.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.