https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/karate-instructor-convicted-of-sexually-abusing-teenage-boys/article_405e2154-87ba-11e9-a8fc-078bcfd5ee86.html
Karate instructor convicted of sexually abusing teenage boys
By Carl Hessler Jr. [email protected]
@MontcoCourtNews on Twitter
Jun 6, 2019
NORRISTOWN — A Whitpain Township man who once worked as an instructor at a Plymouth Township martial arts center is on his way to prison after he was convicted of charges he sexually abused four teenage boys during sleepovers at his residence.
Evan Scott Burgess, 28, of the first block of Ramsgate Court, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3-to-6-years in a state correctional facility after a judge convicted him of multiple felony charges of sexual assault by a sports official and unlawful contact with minors in connection with the inappropriate contact he had with the boys who ranged in age from 14 to 16.
“These boys all looked up to Evan Burgess and they saw him as somebody they could trust. It’s through that trust and the respect that these kids had for him that he was able to get them into his home where he could specifically offend against them and sexually assault them. It was very clearly predatory behavior that demanded a state sentence,” said county Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson.
Burgess met the boys while working as an instructor at Destolfo’s Premier Martial Arts in Plymouth, according to court papers.
“They were all very devoted students and Burgess was one of the instructors, a very high ranking karate teacher. They went to tournaments together, trained together religiously and took it very seriously so that’s how he gained access to them,” Beeson explained on Wednesday.
The boys and their parents trusted Burgess so much that the boys often attended sleepovers at Burgess’ residence, authorities said.
“That’s when he would offend against them after he had them there for a sleepover,” alleged Beeson, adding Burgess’ conduct breached the trust of the boys and their parents. “It was very clear he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Judge William R. Carpenter convicted Burgess of the charges during a non-jury trial at which Burgess stipulated to facts contained in an affidavit of probable cause filed by Whitpain Township detectives.
The charge of sexual assault by a sports official is a relatively new charge in Pennsylvania.
“It specifically highlights the relationship between the kids and Evan Burgess,” said Beeson, explaining the significance of the charge. “Sports are important to kids and they look up to their coaches…and so it was through that very unique avenue that he was able to actually commit these offenses against these children.”
Carpenter also ordered Burgess to complete 14 years’ probation following parole, meaning Burgess will be under court supervision for 20 years. Burgess also faces a requirement to report his address to state police for 25 years in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
“That’s obviously very important for community notification,” Beeson said.
The judge ordered Burgess to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and to comply with all recommendations for treatment. As conditions of the sentence, Burgess, who was represented by defense lawyer Ron Greenblatt, is prohibited from having contact with the victims and their families and is to have no unsupervised contact with minors.
Some of the victims and their families were in court for the trial.
“The families were committed throughout the whole process and very supportive of their sons to make sure that they got justice,” Beeson said.
An investigation began after Whitpain detectives learned in September 2017 that the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth had received an anonymous complaint of alleged sexual abuse of several male children, according to the arrest affidavit. The victims, students Burgess trained at the martial arts center, subsequently were interviewed by child social workers at the Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center.
A 14-year-old boy told detectives Burgess groped him while he was sleeping at Burgess’ residence during an April 2015 visit. The boy told authorities he woke up to find Burgess, who was in the same bed, touching him and attempting to perform a sex act on him and he “moved from the bed to a nearby couch to avoid further contact,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Whitpain Detective Thomas Wittig.
Another male student of Burgess reported that in February 2014, when he was 14, he watched the Super Bowl in the basement at Burgess’ home, and Burgess, who was sitting next to him on a couch, groped his genitals over his pants, according to the arrest affidavit.
After Burgess was arrested in November 2017, other boys came forward with similar allegations of abuse, court documents indicate.
A third boy told detectives Burgess touched him in an inappropriate manner when he was 16 years old and while he slept over at Burgess’ residence. The boy also reported Burgess would sleep in the same bed with him in hotels at karate tournaments and Burgess would “spoon him,” according to the criminal complaint.
A fourth male came forward to report that Burgess touched him in a sexual manner when he was 15 and visiting Burgess’ home, according to court documents.
Other charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and indecent assault were dismissed against Burgess during the county court proceedings.
Officials said Burgess, who moved to Massachusetts during the investigation, also faced charges in federal court in connection with alleged sexual misconduct with teenage karate students during out-of-state martial arts tournaments. Information about the status of those charges was unavailable on Wednesday.
“These boys all looked up to Evan Burgess and they saw him as somebody they could trust." - Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson
"It was very clearly predatory behavior that demanded a state sentence." - Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson
"They went to tournaments together, trained together religiously and took it very seriously so that’s how he gained access to them." - Montgomery County Prosecutor Nicholas Beeson
“The families were committed throughout the whole process and very supportive of their sons to make sure that they got justice.” - Montgomery County Prosecutor Nicholas Beeson
Tags
Montgomery County Court Courts Crime Criminal Investigations Crime And Justice Crime And Punishment Law And Order Legal Proceedings Trials Evan Scott Burgess Karate
Carl Hessler
Carl Hessler Jr.
@montcocourtnews on Twitter
Carl Hessler Jr. is a multi-media reporter who writes about crime and justice from the Montgomery County Courthouse for 21st Century Media Newspaper’s Greater Philadelphia area publications. Follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews
Karate instructor convicted of sexually abusing teenage boys
By Carl Hessler Jr. [email protected]
@MontcoCourtNews on Twitter
Jun 6, 2019
NORRISTOWN — A Whitpain Township man who once worked as an instructor at a Plymouth Township martial arts center is on his way to prison after he was convicted of charges he sexually abused four teenage boys during sleepovers at his residence.
Evan Scott Burgess, 28, of the first block of Ramsgate Court, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3-to-6-years in a state correctional facility after a judge convicted him of multiple felony charges of sexual assault by a sports official and unlawful contact with minors in connection with the inappropriate contact he had with the boys who ranged in age from 14 to 16.
“These boys all looked up to Evan Burgess and they saw him as somebody they could trust. It’s through that trust and the respect that these kids had for him that he was able to get them into his home where he could specifically offend against them and sexually assault them. It was very clearly predatory behavior that demanded a state sentence,” said county Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson.
Burgess met the boys while working as an instructor at Destolfo’s Premier Martial Arts in Plymouth, according to court papers.
“They were all very devoted students and Burgess was one of the instructors, a very high ranking karate teacher. They went to tournaments together, trained together religiously and took it very seriously so that’s how he gained access to them,” Beeson explained on Wednesday.
The boys and their parents trusted Burgess so much that the boys often attended sleepovers at Burgess’ residence, authorities said.
“That’s when he would offend against them after he had them there for a sleepover,” alleged Beeson, adding Burgess’ conduct breached the trust of the boys and their parents. “It was very clear he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Judge William R. Carpenter convicted Burgess of the charges during a non-jury trial at which Burgess stipulated to facts contained in an affidavit of probable cause filed by Whitpain Township detectives.
The charge of sexual assault by a sports official is a relatively new charge in Pennsylvania.
“It specifically highlights the relationship between the kids and Evan Burgess,” said Beeson, explaining the significance of the charge. “Sports are important to kids and they look up to their coaches…and so it was through that very unique avenue that he was able to actually commit these offenses against these children.”
Carpenter also ordered Burgess to complete 14 years’ probation following parole, meaning Burgess will be under court supervision for 20 years. Burgess also faces a requirement to report his address to state police for 25 years in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
“That’s obviously very important for community notification,” Beeson said.
The judge ordered Burgess to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and to comply with all recommendations for treatment. As conditions of the sentence, Burgess, who was represented by defense lawyer Ron Greenblatt, is prohibited from having contact with the victims and their families and is to have no unsupervised contact with minors.
Some of the victims and their families were in court for the trial.
“The families were committed throughout the whole process and very supportive of their sons to make sure that they got justice,” Beeson said.
An investigation began after Whitpain detectives learned in September 2017 that the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth had received an anonymous complaint of alleged sexual abuse of several male children, according to the arrest affidavit. The victims, students Burgess trained at the martial arts center, subsequently were interviewed by child social workers at the Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center.
A 14-year-old boy told detectives Burgess groped him while he was sleeping at Burgess’ residence during an April 2015 visit. The boy told authorities he woke up to find Burgess, who was in the same bed, touching him and attempting to perform a sex act on him and he “moved from the bed to a nearby couch to avoid further contact,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Whitpain Detective Thomas Wittig.
Another male student of Burgess reported that in February 2014, when he was 14, he watched the Super Bowl in the basement at Burgess’ home, and Burgess, who was sitting next to him on a couch, groped his genitals over his pants, according to the arrest affidavit.
After Burgess was arrested in November 2017, other boys came forward with similar allegations of abuse, court documents indicate.
A third boy told detectives Burgess touched him in an inappropriate manner when he was 16 years old and while he slept over at Burgess’ residence. The boy also reported Burgess would sleep in the same bed with him in hotels at karate tournaments and Burgess would “spoon him,” according to the criminal complaint.
A fourth male came forward to report that Burgess touched him in a sexual manner when he was 15 and visiting Burgess’ home, according to court documents.
Other charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and indecent assault were dismissed against Burgess during the county court proceedings.
Officials said Burgess, who moved to Massachusetts during the investigation, also faced charges in federal court in connection with alleged sexual misconduct with teenage karate students during out-of-state martial arts tournaments. Information about the status of those charges was unavailable on Wednesday.
“These boys all looked up to Evan Burgess and they saw him as somebody they could trust." - Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson
"It was very clearly predatory behavior that demanded a state sentence." - Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson
"They went to tournaments together, trained together religiously and took it very seriously so that’s how he gained access to them." - Montgomery County Prosecutor Nicholas Beeson
“The families were committed throughout the whole process and very supportive of their sons to make sure that they got justice.” - Montgomery County Prosecutor Nicholas Beeson
Tags
Montgomery County Court Courts Crime Criminal Investigations Crime And Justice Crime And Punishment Law And Order Legal Proceedings Trials Evan Scott Burgess Karate
Carl Hessler
Carl Hessler Jr.
@montcocourtnews on Twitter
Carl Hessler Jr. is a multi-media reporter who writes about crime and justice from the Montgomery County Courthouse for 21st Century Media Newspaper’s Greater Philadelphia area publications. Follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/crime/karate-teacher-evan-burgess-destolfo-feds-sex-assault-20171130.html
Feds: Montco karate teacher sexually assaulted students on out-of-state trips
by Jeremy Roebuck, Posted: November 30, 2017
Feds: Montco karate teacher sexually assaulted students on out-of-state trips
Federal authorities on Thursday accused a Montgomery County karate instructor of sexually assaulting teenage students during sleepovers in the basement of his home and on trips to martial arts tournaments in Maryland and New York.
Prosecutors say three minors have alleged that Evan Burgess, 26, of Blue Bell, groomed them through interactions during lessons and pursued them on social media and during overnight hotel stays between 2014 and 2016.
All three reported waking up while sleeping in the same room with the instructor to find him performing sexual acts upon them.
Burgess was fired in May from DeStolfo's Premier Martial Arts Studio — the Plymouth Meeting karate training facility where he worked – after the boys' parents reported the alleged abuse to the business, according to court filings.
Yet, it was not until nearly four months later that Whitpain Township Police and Montgomery County Children and Youth Services began investigating the allegations after receiving an anonymous tip, the documents state. By that time he had moved from his parents' house in Blue Bell to Auburn, Mass. and found a karate teaching job there.
According to its website, the Plymouth Meeting studio offers instruction for students as young as 3 years old up to adulthood. Burgess, authorities said, had been involved there for nearly two decades, first as a student who enrolled in karate lessons at the age of eight and later as a paid instructor.
Andrew Kasmen, a lawyer representing business, said Thursday that owners, Fred and Dena DeStolfo, first learned of the accusations against Burgess in May and immediately met with parents for the three students.
Each made only vague claims that Burgess had had inappropriate contact with their sons, Kasmen said. Still, the lawyer said, the DeStolfos immediately reported it to Children and Youth investigators and Plymouth Township Police. Kasmen did not know whether either office pursued the investigation from there.
"It's not their fault," Kasmen said of the DeStolfos. "Nothing occurred at their studio at all. It was all out-of-state things." He added: "God forbid, if these [allegations] are proven to be true, the DeStolfos are as shocked about this as anyone."
Burgess' lawyer, Ron Greenblatt, described the allegations as unsubstantiated and his client as wrongly accused.
"This young man maintains a sterling reputation by all those who know him best," he said. "He adamantly denies any inappropriate contact with anyone and looks forward to addressing this matter in court. … We are confident that once all the facts are revealed he will be fully exonerated."
Court records indicate that when approached by Whitpain investigators earlier this month, Burgess admitted to sharing beds with minors from the karate studio on several occasions but denied abusing anyone.
His accusers, however, say otherwise.
The complaint filed in federal court in Philadelphia sketched out a classic scenario of predatory grooming.
Evan Scott Burgess
Courtesy of the Montgomery County District Attorney
Evan Scott Burgess
His accusers described Burgess – whose Facebook page is plastered with photo galleries of his students, some posing shirtless — as an unusually attentive teacher. He often asked his underage students for their cell phone numbers and social media accounts so he could text or contact them through platforms such as Snapchat, they said.
"Burgess was closer to the younger students than any other karate instructor at the studio had ever been," the complaint says one accuser told investigators. "He would hang out with the students, go to the movies with them and have them sleep over at his parents' house," where he was living at the time.
And during frequent out-of-town trips to karate tournaments, it was common for Burgess to ask to share hotel rooms with his students and their parents, claiming he could not afford a room of his own.
It was on one of those trips to a 2016 tournament in National Harbor, Md., that one accuser says he woke up to find Burgess grinding against him in bed, grabbing at his penis and attempting to initiate sex.
The boy, who was 16 at the time, told investigators he immediately jumped out of bed, left the hotel and spent the rest of the night wandering the streets of the unfamiliar city.
Another student said that when he was 15, he woke up while staying in a hotel with Burgess during a 2014 tournament in Long Island, N.Y., to find his teacher groping his genitals through his clothing, according to the complaint.
Burgess' third accuser, the affidavit states, said his abuse occurred during a sleepover at the karate teacher's parents' house. He woke up in the middle of the night to find Burgess performing oral sex on him, he said.
Whitpain investigators arrested Burgess Friday as he returned home to Montgomery County to visit his parents over Thanksgiving weekend.
He posted a $75,000 bail the same day and had returned to Auburn to resume teaching by the time federal prosecutors adopted the case and re-arrested him in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
As of Thursday, he remained in federal custody in route to Philadelphia, where he is expected to stand trial on charges of transporting minors across state lines for the purposes of illicit sexual activity.
by Jeremy Roebuck
Posted: November 30, 2017 - 1:07 PM
Jeremy Roebuck | @jeremyrroebuck | [email protected]
Feds: Montco karate teacher sexually assaulted students on out-of-state trips
by Jeremy Roebuck, Posted: November 30, 2017
Feds: Montco karate teacher sexually assaulted students on out-of-state trips
Federal authorities on Thursday accused a Montgomery County karate instructor of sexually assaulting teenage students during sleepovers in the basement of his home and on trips to martial arts tournaments in Maryland and New York.
Prosecutors say three minors have alleged that Evan Burgess, 26, of Blue Bell, groomed them through interactions during lessons and pursued them on social media and during overnight hotel stays between 2014 and 2016.
All three reported waking up while sleeping in the same room with the instructor to find him performing sexual acts upon them.
Burgess was fired in May from DeStolfo's Premier Martial Arts Studio — the Plymouth Meeting karate training facility where he worked – after the boys' parents reported the alleged abuse to the business, according to court filings.
Yet, it was not until nearly four months later that Whitpain Township Police and Montgomery County Children and Youth Services began investigating the allegations after receiving an anonymous tip, the documents state. By that time he had moved from his parents' house in Blue Bell to Auburn, Mass. and found a karate teaching job there.
According to its website, the Plymouth Meeting studio offers instruction for students as young as 3 years old up to adulthood. Burgess, authorities said, had been involved there for nearly two decades, first as a student who enrolled in karate lessons at the age of eight and later as a paid instructor.
Andrew Kasmen, a lawyer representing business, said Thursday that owners, Fred and Dena DeStolfo, first learned of the accusations against Burgess in May and immediately met with parents for the three students.
Each made only vague claims that Burgess had had inappropriate contact with their sons, Kasmen said. Still, the lawyer said, the DeStolfos immediately reported it to Children and Youth investigators and Plymouth Township Police. Kasmen did not know whether either office pursued the investigation from there.
"It's not their fault," Kasmen said of the DeStolfos. "Nothing occurred at their studio at all. It was all out-of-state things." He added: "God forbid, if these [allegations] are proven to be true, the DeStolfos are as shocked about this as anyone."
Burgess' lawyer, Ron Greenblatt, described the allegations as unsubstantiated and his client as wrongly accused.
"This young man maintains a sterling reputation by all those who know him best," he said. "He adamantly denies any inappropriate contact with anyone and looks forward to addressing this matter in court. … We are confident that once all the facts are revealed he will be fully exonerated."
Court records indicate that when approached by Whitpain investigators earlier this month, Burgess admitted to sharing beds with minors from the karate studio on several occasions but denied abusing anyone.
His accusers, however, say otherwise.
The complaint filed in federal court in Philadelphia sketched out a classic scenario of predatory grooming.
Evan Scott Burgess
Courtesy of the Montgomery County District Attorney
Evan Scott Burgess
His accusers described Burgess – whose Facebook page is plastered with photo galleries of his students, some posing shirtless — as an unusually attentive teacher. He often asked his underage students for their cell phone numbers and social media accounts so he could text or contact them through platforms such as Snapchat, they said.
"Burgess was closer to the younger students than any other karate instructor at the studio had ever been," the complaint says one accuser told investigators. "He would hang out with the students, go to the movies with them and have them sleep over at his parents' house," where he was living at the time.
And during frequent out-of-town trips to karate tournaments, it was common for Burgess to ask to share hotel rooms with his students and their parents, claiming he could not afford a room of his own.
It was on one of those trips to a 2016 tournament in National Harbor, Md., that one accuser says he woke up to find Burgess grinding against him in bed, grabbing at his penis and attempting to initiate sex.
The boy, who was 16 at the time, told investigators he immediately jumped out of bed, left the hotel and spent the rest of the night wandering the streets of the unfamiliar city.
Another student said that when he was 15, he woke up while staying in a hotel with Burgess during a 2014 tournament in Long Island, N.Y., to find his teacher groping his genitals through his clothing, according to the complaint.
Burgess' third accuser, the affidavit states, said his abuse occurred during a sleepover at the karate teacher's parents' house. He woke up in the middle of the night to find Burgess performing oral sex on him, he said.
Whitpain investigators arrested Burgess Friday as he returned home to Montgomery County to visit his parents over Thanksgiving weekend.
He posted a $75,000 bail the same day and had returned to Auburn to resume teaching by the time federal prosecutors adopted the case and re-arrested him in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
As of Thursday, he remained in federal custody in route to Philadelphia, where he is expected to stand trial on charges of transporting minors across state lines for the purposes of illicit sexual activity.
by Jeremy Roebuck
Posted: November 30, 2017 - 1:07 PM
Jeremy Roebuck | @jeremyrroebuck | [email protected]
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/karate-instructor-accused-sexually-assaulting-students-article-1.3670420
Karate instructor accused of sexually assaulting three students
BY David Boroff
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Friday, December 1, 2017, 3:12 PM
A karate instructor in Pennsylvania is accused of sexually assaulting three students during sleepovers and on road trips.
The teenage students all woke up to find Evan Burgess performing sex acts on them, according authorities.
One teen described being assaulted by Burgess at a Super Bowl party at the instructor's home in Blue Bell in 2014, according to a criminal complaint. The victim was 14 at the time.
Burgess, 26, was fired from DeStolfo's Premier Martial Arts Studio in Plymouth Meeting in May after parents reported the alleged attacks, according to the Inquirer. However, an investigation was not launched until several months later, according to the newspaper. By that time Burgess had moved to Massachusetts, where he was teaching karate.
Evan Burgess is accused of sexually assaulting three students.
Evan Burgess is accused of sexually assaulting three students. (Facebook)
The suspect was very active on social media and displayed shirtless photos of his students on Facebook, according to the newspaper. He also used Snapchat to get in touch with them.
"Burgess was closer to the younger students than any other karate instructor at the studio had ever been," one accuser told authorities, according to the Inquirer. "He would hang out with the students, go to the movies with them and have them sleep over at his parents' house."
Burgess was arrested in Pennsylvania and then again in Massachusetts.
Burgess was arrested in Pennsylvania and then again in Massachusetts. (Montgomery County District Attorney)
He was arrested on Nov. 24 while visiting his family in Pennsylvania for the Thanksgiving weekend. He was busted again in Massachusetts on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.
"This young man maintains a sterling reputation by all those who know him best," his lawyer Ron Greenblatt told the Inquirer. "He adamantly denies any inappropriate contact with anyone and looks forward to addressing this matter in court. ... We are confident that once all the facts are revealed he will be fully exonerated."
Karate instructor accused of sexually assaulting three students
BY David Boroff
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Friday, December 1, 2017, 3:12 PM
A karate instructor in Pennsylvania is accused of sexually assaulting three students during sleepovers and on road trips.
The teenage students all woke up to find Evan Burgess performing sex acts on them, according authorities.
One teen described being assaulted by Burgess at a Super Bowl party at the instructor's home in Blue Bell in 2014, according to a criminal complaint. The victim was 14 at the time.
Burgess, 26, was fired from DeStolfo's Premier Martial Arts Studio in Plymouth Meeting in May after parents reported the alleged attacks, according to the Inquirer. However, an investigation was not launched until several months later, according to the newspaper. By that time Burgess had moved to Massachusetts, where he was teaching karate.
Evan Burgess is accused of sexually assaulting three students.
Evan Burgess is accused of sexually assaulting three students. (Facebook)
The suspect was very active on social media and displayed shirtless photos of his students on Facebook, according to the newspaper. He also used Snapchat to get in touch with them.
"Burgess was closer to the younger students than any other karate instructor at the studio had ever been," one accuser told authorities, according to the Inquirer. "He would hang out with the students, go to the movies with them and have them sleep over at his parents' house."
Burgess was arrested in Pennsylvania and then again in Massachusetts.
Burgess was arrested in Pennsylvania and then again in Massachusetts. (Montgomery County District Attorney)
He was arrested on Nov. 24 while visiting his family in Pennsylvania for the Thanksgiving weekend. He was busted again in Massachusetts on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.
"This young man maintains a sterling reputation by all those who know him best," his lawyer Ron Greenblatt told the Inquirer. "He adamantly denies any inappropriate contact with anyone and looks forward to addressing this matter in court. ... We are confident that once all the facts are revealed he will be fully exonerated."