Gregory Lee, a former Dublin-area high school teacher, was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.
Lee pleaded guilty in September to federal child pornography production charges. Investigators say Lee exchanged nude photos and videos hundreds of times with a 15-year-old student. He also had sex with the student in his classroom and in a car at a public park.
The student’s parents contacted Dublin Police in May of last year after finding information in the teenager’s journal regarding sexual activity with Lee. He had been one of her teachers at Dublin Scioto High School.
“This offense involves a significant violation of the trust placed in Lee as a teacher,” said U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman in a statement. “He engaged in a sexual relationship with a student who was more than 30 years his junior."
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, a forensic examination of Lee’s electronic device uncovered about 234 images of the student, and at least 49 of those “depicted the minor in various stages of nudity.”
“She was a child, and it was his duty as the adult to prevent any inappropriate interactions with his students,” Glassman said. “He failed that duty miserably, and his sentence today reflects the seriousness of his crime.”
Authorities say their examination also revealed nude images of another former female student, who confirmed that she took the photos when she was 17 and sent them to him.
When Lee resigned in May, he had a personnel file 283 page long with multiple accusations of inappropriate conduct with students. He was suspended previously in 2010, for “misconduct with a female student, including inappropriate touching,” and in 2003 was forced to resign as the girls cross country and track coach because of inappropriate physical contact with student athletes.
Following Lee’s prison sentence, he faces 20 years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine. He was 52 at the time of his resignation.
