Former Kentucky teacher, coach admits to recording sexual acts with underage student
A former Rowan County high school teacher and coach pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal child pornography charges related to a sexual relationship with a student.
Andrew Zaheri, 40, of Morehead, was originally arrested and charged in February 2023. He also faces a host of state charges related to his sexual relationship with the same female student, referred to as “Jane Doe” in civil court documents.
Zaheri pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography charges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in Covington.
According to court documents, Zaheri engaged in a sexual relationship with Jane Doe when she was 17. In September 2022, the two began a sexual relationship that continued throughout the school year. Zaheri admitted that some of those sexual acts occurred during school hours, according to the court documents.
Some of those sexual acts were recorded by Zaheri, according to court records.
“Zaheri admits that, during these sexual acts, he used the minor victim to create sexually explicit images and videos of the conduct,” the plea agreement said.
Zaheri faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years under the federal sentencing guidelines. Those guidelines are no longer mandatory.
Zaheri will be sentenced May 14 in Ashland. He was taken into custody following Wednesday’s hearing.
In addition to the federal court charges, Zaheri’s state criminal case involving Jane Doe is still pending. Zaheri has been charged with more than a dozen rape, sodomy and other charges in Rowan Circuit Court. A status conference has been set for April 19 in that case.
In addition, Jane Doe and her family filed a civil lawsuit against Zaheri and various administrators at Rowan County schools. The civil lawsuit alleges multiple school staff members were aware of the relationship between Zaheri and the teen girl but failed to report it to authorities or to the girl’s parents. A school counselor eventually heard about the relationship and called authorities in February 2023, according to the lawsuit.
That lawsuit is ongoing. The Rowan County School District has denied wrongdoing and has asked for the case to be dismissed.
A bill pending in the Kentucky General Assembly would bolster disclosure requirements for teachers accused of sexual misconduct, up training requirements, and require teachers and other personnel to pass criminal background checks every five years.
House Bill 275 unanimously passed the House on Thursday. A similar bill was filed during the 2023 Kentucky legislative session but failed to pass the Senate.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM.
