San Diego teacher who wanted to pay for sex between teenagers gets ten years in prison

A former University City High School science teacher and track coach who was arrested last year while trying to meet someone he thought was a 16-year-old girl for sex was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in a federal prison and 15 years of probation.

Sean Michael Stevenson, 59, pleaded guilty in June to attempted enticement of a minor. He agreed to pay $140 to engage in sexual acts with a person he believed to be an underage girl, although the person Stevenson had arranged to meet was actually an undercover police officer.

Stevenson was arrested around 7 a.m. on October 24, a school day, after arriving at the agreed meeting point in the Talmadge neighborhood with $140 in his car.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia said Stevenson's case contained “very disturbing” facts and said such cases were “the most reprehensible” the court considered. The judge said the prison term, which is the minimum required for such an offense, was appropriate both as punishment for Stevenson and to hopefully deter others from committing the same crime.

Stevenson must register as a sex offender. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a charge against Stevenson for allegedly possessing sexually explicit images of children on his electronic devices, but Battaglia ordered him to pay $3,000 in restitution to each of the four victims depicted in the images.

“Mr. Stevenson's determination to purchase sex acts from minors is appalling,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement. “Fortunately, he was caught before he harmed an actual child. The sentence imposed today reflects the depth of our commitment to protecting the vulnerable from exploitation.”

Stevenson spoke only briefly Thursday, telling the judge he felt bad about his actions and wanted to take advantage of the prison's sex offender treatment options. He promised never to get into legal trouble again.

“Mr. Stevenson deeply regrets his conduct … and has accepted the fact that his life as he knew it, including his career and a significant portion of his freedom, is over,” his attorney, Dana Grimes, wrote in a sentencing document.

Stevenson taught environmental science and biology at University City High. He was also the head coach of the Centurions cross country team and an assistant coach for the school's track and field team, according to the school's athletic website at the time of his arrest.

“There is no evidence of inappropriate relationships with minors throughout his coaching or teaching career,” Grimes wrote in his sentencing brief. Stevenson taught at the high school for nine years, according to his attorney.

The events leading to Stevenson's arrest began in a roundabout way in April 2023, when police responded to a report of a robbery at a 7-Eleven and encountered a minor victim of human trafficking who told officers that her pimp and his “bottom” — a pimp's most trusted prostitute — had attacked her, according to a criminal complaint and a search warrant affidavit in Stevenson's case. A few days later, officers with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force arrested the alleged pimp and his other prostitute at a San Bernardino-area motel and seized their phones as evidence.

During a later search of the woman's phone, officers found messages between her and Stevenson discussing procuring an underage girl for sex, according to the complaint and arrest warrant. Stevenson admitted in his confession that during that conversation, he texted the prostitute and asked her if she knew “any younger girls I could pay extra for.”

He also wrote, “The younger the better,” and told the other woman, “Just keep that in mind when you meet high school-aged girls.” When the woman suggested an 18-year-old girl, he replied, “Not young enough.”

In October, an undercover officer resumed speaking to Stevenson on the seized phone. The officer, posing as the other woman, said her 16-year-old cousin was trying to earn some money as a prostitute.

“Oh (expletive), yes!” Stevenson replied, according to his agreement. Later, after we discussed prices for various sex acts, he wrote, “Ok. So, I'm definitely interested in her!”

After a few weeks of exchanging messages in which he repeatedly asked for pictures of the teenager, Stevenson agreed to a “car date,” according to his consent form. When he arrived, police were waiting to arrest him.

Originally published: September 5, 2024 at 3:46 pm