Teacher at U.S. military base in Germany convicted of student sex abuse

Jan. 19 (UPI) -- An elementary school teacher at a U.S. military installation in Stuttgart, Germany, has been convicted of sexually abusing four former students.

According to the Department of Justice, Stefan Zappey, 56, was convicted of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and four counts of abusive sexual conduct.

Four of Zappey's former students said during interviews with investigators that Zappey put his hand inside their underwear and touched their genitals. The victims were 6-8 years old at the time.

The Justice Department said in a statement that other students and faculty at Patch Elementary reported Zappey frequently hugged students, had them sit on his lap and touched their backs and stomachs under their clothes.

Zappey's sentencing is set for May 2. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Zappey's case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. That program was launched in 2006.

Zappey was employed by the Department of Defense Education Activity between 2001 and 2021. He taught third grade at Patch Elementary school, located on a U.S. military installation near Stuttgart.

According ot the Justice Department, Army criminal investigators were notified in 2020 that one of Zappey's former students had reported he touched her inappropriately under her clothing between 2009 and 2010.