LOS ANGELES, CA – A former piano teacher who worked with children of Hollywood entertainment figures was sentenced to nine years and four months in state prison Friday after being convicted of sexually abusing a longtime student, capping a nearly decade-long legal case that included the defendant’s dramatic flight to Australia.
John Kaleel, 69, made headlines in October when he fled to his native Australia on the same day a jury convicted him on five counts of sexual abuse. U.S. authorities arrested him in Australia and extradited him back to Los Angeles in January to face sentencing.
“He has now learned the hard way that you can run, but you cannot hide, a lesson he can contemplate while hopefully serving years of state prison,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at the time of Kaleel’s return.
Kaleel taught private piano lessons in Los Angeles for more than 25 years and worked with high-profile clients. His now-defunct website featured testimonials claiming to be from children of well-known entertainment figures, including the creators of “Orange Is the New Black,” “Mad Men,” and “Dexter’s Laboratory,” according to the Los Angeles Times. However, spokespeople for these creators told the outlet they had not endorsed Kaleel or permitted him to use such comments.
Prosecutors said the abuse began in 2011 when Kaleel’s student was 13 years old and continued until 2013. The victim came forward in 2015, reporting the inappropriate behavior to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
According to court records cited by the LA Times, the victim alleged that when he was 12, Kaleel asked him to measure his penis and later convinced him to engage in sexual activity over FaceTime. In September 2013, prosecutors said Kaleel invited the then-15-year-old over to smoke marijuana, after which they allegedly had oral sex.
The case took several legal turns before reaching its conclusion. Kaleel initially pleaded no contest to sexual abuse charges in 2016, but was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After successfully appealing a deportation order, he convinced a Los Angeles County judge to throw out his plea, arguing he had not been properly informed about its impact on his immigration status.
Following that decision, the district attorney’s office retried the case. In October, a jury convicted Kaleel of four felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child aged 14 or 15 and one felony count of committing a lewd act on a child under 14.
In addition to his prison term, Kaleel must register as a sex offender and comply with a protective order that will remain in effect for at least a decade. Kaleel was a longtime lawful permanent resident of the United States.
“Our hearts remain with the victim who endured years of abuse by someone he trusted,” Hochman said in a January statement. “Thank you to my office’s prosecutors, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and our federal and Australian law enforcement partners who came together to ensure that Mr. Kaleel was brought back to Los Angeles to be sentenced for the crimes of which the jury convicted him.”
Kaleel’s lawyer, Kate Hardie, told The Independent on Saturday that she did not represent him at his sentencing. She had previously told the LA Times that she last saw Kaleel on October 7, just before the jury returned its verdict, and had no contact with him since.
