Montgomery County karate teacher gets 6.5 years for sexually abusing teen students
Evan Burgess, 28, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
PHILADELPHIA - A former karate instructor in Montgomery County has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two teenage students.
Evan Burgess, 28, of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. He must also register as a sex offender.
Burgess previously taught at Destolfo’s Premier Martial Arts in Conshohocken. He pleaded guilty in June 2019 to illicit sexual conduct with two minors.
Federal prosecutors said the then 26-year-old molested two underage boys on separate occasions when they traveled to karate tournaments. The first incident occurred in September 2014 in East Elmhurst, New York, and the second occurred in August 2016 in National Harbor, Maryland.
“Burgess took advantage of his position of trust as an instructor of young men to abuse them – sometimes brazenly while other adults were in the room or nearby,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. "Burgess will now pay for his crimes behind bars where he belongs.”