Karate Instructor from Blue Bell Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Sex Offenses

United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Evan Burgess, 28, of Blue Bell was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment followed by fifteen years of supervised release by the United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage.  The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of this conviction.

The defendant, a former karate instructor in Conshohocken, previously pleaded guilty in June 2019 to two counts of traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with two minors, who were his teenage karate students at the time of the incidents.  These incidents occurred while the defendant and his victims were attending out-of-state karate tournaments.

“Burgess took advantage of his position of trust as an instructor of young men to abuse them – sometimes brazenly while other adults were in the room or nearby,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Child abuse and exploitation are heinous crimes which my Office takes very seriously. Burgess will now pay for his crimes behind bars where he belongs.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and Whitpain Township Police and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Harrell.