Officials announced on Tuesday that a former Orange County high school teacher had been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison and life on supervised release for surreptitiously placing covert cameras in the school’s restrooms and for having hundreds of photos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), some of which included images of children under the age of twelve.
Rowland Heights resident Siu Kong Sit, 38, who was a teacher at Irvine’s Beckman High School in the past, entered a guilty plea on March 29 to one count of possessing child pornography, according to the prosecution.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Central District of California Office stated that starting at least in February 2020, Sit began placing covert cameras in the high school’s restrooms. He would then periodically watch the footage and download the videos that caught his attention.
In a hotel bathroom where team members were staying during a tournament in Texas in May 2020, Sit used the same strategies when working as the school’s robotics team coach.
“From 2020 to 2023, Sit viewed and downloaded hundreds of images of children and adults, in various states of undress, using restrooms,” according to the release.
When the cameras were discovered in February 2023, the 38-year-old’s residence was searched by law enforcement, and many digital gadgets were taken away, along with two external storage drives that were part of the Beckman High School cameras.
“A forensic review of the various digital devices identified dozens of images and videos of child pornography, including images and videos that Sit had recorded himself of children using restrooms in various states of undress,” prosecutors stated. “The victims that Sit recorded without their consent were under the age of 18, and some of the victims were under the age of 12.”
Read Also: Man Sentenced to 325 Years in Prison for Child Molestation in Southern California
Authorities found at least 22 photos and one film of CSAM on a single hard drive, some of which “depicted a toddler engaged in sexual activity.” Four films and an additional 150 photos were discovered on a different drive.
The 38-year-old acknowledged in his plea deal that he had knowledge of photos and videos showing children under the age of 12 having sex.
“This defendant was every parent’s nightmare – rather than care for the safety and well-being of students, he exploited them in the most abhorrent way,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada stated.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is pursuing criminal charges against Sit for the adult victims who were captured on camera by the covert cameras.
