Former teacher pleads guilty to sexual child abuse after conviction overturned in Montgomery County
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A former elementary school teacher whose conviction for sex crimes against children was overturned in 2023 pleaded guilty to charges on Friday.
The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said John Vigna, 57, of Silver Spring entered pleas to charges of Sexual Child Abuse and Sexual Abuse of a Minor (3 counts). Prosecutors said the crimes of which Vigna was accused involved a number of students at Cloverly Elementary School between 2001 and 2016.
After a jury convicted Vigna, and he received a sentence of 48 years, he filed for relief, citing ineffective counsel. A judge agreed with Vigna and ordered that the conviction be vacated.
Following Vigna’s guilty plea Friday, prosecutors said they will ask for a 30-year suspended prison sentence with supervised probation by the COMET Unit (Collaborative Offender Management/Enforced Treatment) of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation with conditions including no unsupervised contact with minors. Vigna will have to register as a sex offender.
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