Blog
OC District Attorney Seeks Public’s Help Identifying Additional Child Victims
Law Enforcement is Seeking Help Identifying Potential Victims of CEO Charged with Sexual Assault and Child Pornography. January 23, 2015 – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office issued a press release today seeking the help of the public in identifying any minors who were victims of Qayed Murtaza Shareef, the CEO of a publicly…
The Senators (Ret.) Firm Announces Record $139,750,000 Settlement in Los Angeles Unified School District Child Sex Abuse Litigation
Attorneys at The Senators (Ret.) Firm LLP confirmed today that they have reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District to settle the claims of dozens of children who were sexually abused and exploited by former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt for $139,750,000. Berndt is serving a 25-year prison sentence for…
Records Show LAUSD Knew of Issues with Miramonte Teacher Since 1983
The complex case involving a Miramonte elementary school teacher accused of committing lewd acts against children has drawn much attention from the media and concerned parents. Now, new information has revealed that the Los Angeles Unified School District was aware of complaints and allegations of inappropriate behavior against the teacher, Mark Berndt, since 1983….
Male Day Care Worker Arrested on Suspicion of Lewd Acts with Child
On Aug. 23, 2014, the Orange County Register published an article about a La Mirada man who was arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a 3-year-old girl. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that the reported victim was a family member, but investigators learned that the defendant, Thomas Burke Pulver, had worked…
Lake Forest Piano Teacher Arrested on Suspicion of Committing Lewd Acts on Children
On Sunday August 10, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced that they arrested a Lake Forest piano teacher after investigating the man for lewd acts on a child. The suspect, John Mordecai Scott, taught piano lessons from his home and is suspected of taking and showing lewd photographs of at least two elementary school-age…
Private School Contacts LAPD to Investigate Former Teacher’s Conduct
On Sunday, July 14, administrators from the Marlborough School – a private female high school in Hancock Park, announced that the school has launched an investigation of a former teacher involving allegations of inappropriate conduct from a decade ago. According to school officials, the Los Angeles Police Department was contacted after a former student…
LAUSD Fined $6,000 for Failing to Disclose Miramonte Abuse Photos
In a significant ruling last Friday, a judge approved a $6,000 fine against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for its failure to disclose photos relating to the Miramonte Elementary School abuse scandal. The case – which resulted in former teacher Mark Berndt being sentenced to 25 years for sexually abusing students –…
Former LAUSD Teacher Charged with Sexually Abusing Students Pleads No Contest
On Thursday, May 29, a former Los Angeles Unified School District elementary school teacher pled no contest to charges that he molested several students and a relative. The teacher, 58-year-old Robert Pimentel, was a teacher at George De La Torre Jr. Elementary School in Wilmington. According to the authorities, Pimentel sexually abused four female…