A widely known Orange County piano teacher faces as much as 111 years in jail following his conviction for molesting eight women over almost 20 years.
John Mordecai Scott, 65, was arrested almost eight years in the past on suspicion of molesting a few of his college students at his Lake Forest dwelling in addition to at Coast Band Music in Mission Viejo. The variety of accusers rapidly escalated as Orange County sheriff’s detectives interviewed extra college students. One of many kids abused in 2013 was a 5-year-old, authorities mentioned.
Scott in the end was accused of molesting 11 women. One selected to not take part within the latest trial earlier than Orange County Superior Courtroom Decide Steve Bromberg. Fees associated to a different have been dismissed earlier than Monday’s verdict, wherein Scott was convicted of 26 felony and misdemeanor counts of assorted sexual acts with minors, possession of kid pornography and exhibiting lewd supplies to minors. After being out of jail on a $1-million bond since 2014, Scott was taken into custody Monday.
The case towards Scott started in August 2014 when Orange County sheriff’s detectives started an intensive investigation into the music trainer. Working with a federal intercourse crimes process pressure, they in the end recovered photos of three women from his laptop recordsdata.
Lawyer Genie Harrison, who represents one of many victims, mentioned Scott had a digital camera with him throughout a lot of his music classes. They mentioned that he was allowed to remain within the Coast Band Music retailer with college students even after the store was closed to the general public and that nobody from the shop ever checked up on him throughout classes. Scott additionally refused to permit the ladies’ moms to stay throughout courses as a result of it might be “disruptive,” she mentioned.
Scott focused his first documented sufferer in 1996, groping her and warning her to not inform anybody, courtroom paperwork present. He had her lie down on a piano bench whereas he lifted the waistband of her underwear, in line with testimony on the trial. Six years later, she reported the interplay to Music Makers in Rancho Santa Margarita, though Scott was now not working there by then.
Lots of the women have been abused at Scott’s Lake Forest dwelling, information present. One sufferer was 7 years outdated when she began classes. He slipped pornographic magazines into her music sheets and groped her, authorities mentioned. Scott additionally pressured one teen to unfold her legs in a metronome train and confirmed her pornography whereas he molested her over and underneath her garments.
Inside the home, he had a pictures room the place he took seminude pictures of the ladies, prosecutors mentioned. He took footage of 1 younger woman at Coast Band Music in Mission Viejo, and in a few of the images, she was sipping water from a phallic-shaped bottle, information present.
Scott was accused of approaching a 17-year-old woman on the road in Could 2006 and providing pay her to mannequin for footage. Two narcotics detectives witnessed the exercise and stopped Scott, however he was not charged after he mentioned he didn't suppose the woman was a minor. She didn't take part within the trial.
Courtroom information additionally present Scott sexually assaulted a lady when she was 11 after claiming he was a physician analyzing her. Though the woman knowledgeable her household of the assault, no costs have been introduced towards Scott on the time.
Scott’s lawyer, Ed Munoz, requested the trial decide to parse what was innocuous habits from extra extreme conduct, noting his consumer “educated and instructed tons of of individuals.”
Harrison, who represents one of many victims who was abused from ages 8 to 11, mentioned, “It has been very troublesome for her to have the method go on so lengthy,” noting that the trial was delayed a number of instances.
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