Teacher Christopher Bendann Found Guilty of Child Sex Abuse
,Under Project Safe Childhood, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against Christopher Kenji Bendann, age 40, of Baltimore. He was found guilty of child sex abuse on:
– five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography
– one count of cyberstalking
– three counts of possession of child pornography, all relating to his sexual exploitation of a minor male victim.
Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. [2]
The goal of this project is to reduce the number of children who face childhood sexual exploitation. Prosecution of childhood sexual exploitation has increased every year since the launch of Project Safe Childhood.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood, please visit the U.S. Department of Justice website.
Bendann Forced Boys to Exercise Naked While Recording for his Own Benefit
Bendann was a teacher at Gilman School, an all-boys private independent school in Roland Park, from 2007 to 2023.
Between September 2017 and February 2019, Bendann produced multiple sexually explicit videos of a child aged 16 and 17. Bendann met the child when he was in eighth grade. That year, Bendann served as the child’s teacher, coach, and adviser.
He was placed in a position of trust, a sacred trust that teachers will not sexually abuse their students.
Bendann broke this trust when he drove the child and his friends to Meadowood Regional Park or nearby to a hill at the St. Paul’s Schools campus to run laps naked as repayment for trips to McDonald’s or rides home.[3]
These perverse exercises were recorded, and Bendann can even be heard and seen in some of the video footage recovered by the FBI.
The abuse did not stop once the child became an adult and moved on from Gilman School. Teacher Christopher Bendann continued to harass the child online and demanded contact and explicit images.
Bendann Threatened to Release Sexually Explicit Images
Bendann threatened to publicly release the sexually explicit images of the minor if he did not submit to Bendann’s demands.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen McGuinn said that Bendann “used his image as a pillar of the Gilman community to access these children.”[4] In 2023, Bendann was fired by Gillman School and two weeks later was arrested by Baltimore County Police.
U.S. Senior District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Bendann to serve 35 years in federal prison in addition to a lifetime of supervised release.[5] Bendann earned this lengthy prison sentence due to his lack of remorse and refusal to admit his guilt.
After being found guilty by a jury of his peers, Bendann turned around and mouthed the words “I forgive you.”[6]
The student’s parents spoke about how Bendann’s abuse has permanently affected their son and shamed Bendann for his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions.[7]
Maryland Legislative Strips the Statute of Limitations for Civil Claims of Child Sex Abuse
In October of 2023, the Maryland Legislature significantly expanded the civil remedies for survivors of child sexual abuse. The prior law allowed survivors to come forward up to twenty years after they reached the age of majority.
However, the average age of disclosure for survivors of childhood sexual abuse is 52. The current law allows for claims to proceed no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.
This allows survivors a greater opportunity to get justice for crimes committed against them, as well as holding abusers accountable by not allowing their repercussions to disappear by hiding behind a statute of limitations.
Civil Remedies Offer Justice for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Sexual Abuse
Criminal prosecution is not the only avenue to seek justice. The Yost Legal Group is a Maryland law firm that represents survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Institutional childhood sexual abuse occurs when a minor is sexually abused by someone who has a duty to supervise and care for the minor.
Legally, no minor can have a consensual sexual relationship with an adult. Survivors are encouraged to come forward because their voice matters. The Yost Legal Group is dedicated to seeking justice and financial compensation for survivors.
Seeking Justice for Survivors of Child Sex Abuse
If you are a survivor of child sexual abuse in a Maryland school system or state-run facility, contact our childhood sexual abuse lawyers for help. We will file a child abuse lawsuit on your behalf.
The Yost Legal Group is committed to ending childhood sexual abuse in Maryland. We are a committed team of child abuse lawyers dedicated to protecting the rights of survivors.
To learn about your rights or discuss the possibility of legal action, please contact the Yost Legal Group at 1-800-967-8529 for a free and confidential consultation.
All teacher sexual abuse claims are handled on a contingent fee basis. You never have to pay anything up front. After we settle your case, that’s when we get paid. If there is no recovery, there are no fees or expenses due.
[2] Project Safe Childhood | Project Safe Childhood
[3] https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/chris-bendann-gilman-school-sentencing-sex-abuse-TR2JVYRL2VE6FGD4BLT4IB4KW4/
[4] Chris Bendann, ex-Gilman School teacher, sentenced to 35 years in prison – The Baltimore Banner
[5] https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/chris-bendann-gilman-school-sentencing-sex-abuse-TR2JVYRL2VE6FGD4BLT4IB4KW4/
[6] Chris Bendann, ex-Gilman School teacher, sentenced to 35 years in prison – The Baltimore Banner
[7] Chris Bendann, ex-Gilman School teacher, sentenced to 35 years in prison – The Baltimore Banner
Sexual Assault Attorneys – Lawyers for Sexual Abuse – Maryland Abuse Lawyers