Former Gilman School teacher Chris Bendann was found guilty this week on all charges that he sexually abused a student, recorded explicit videos and threatened to expose nude images.
Bendann was convicted in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Wednesday of sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography and cyberstalking. He worked at the private, independent all-boys school in Roland Park from 2007 to 2023.
Here’s a look at what’s next.
What crimes was Chris Bendann convicted of at trial?
Bendann, 40, of Baltimore, was found guilty of nine counts:
- Sexual exploitation of a child (five counts)
- Possession of child pornography (three counts)
- Cyberstalking (one count)
Between Sept. 16, 2017, and Feb. 9, 2019, Bendann sexually abused the student and recorded eight graphic videos. The FBI found them on his iCloud account as well as two laptops.
When the student was an adult, Bendann repeatedly sent him text messages and threatened to make nude images public if he did not respond or provide more naked photos and videos.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour. That’s less time than it took for the judge to read the 65 pages of instructions.
The student, now 23, testified that Bendann would drive him and his friends to Meadowood Regional Park or a hill at the St. Paul’s Schools to run naked as repayment for favors. The behavior, he said, “just kept getting worse and worse.”
Bendann was his teacher, adviser and coach in eighth grade.
The Baltimore Banner does not identify survivors of sexual abuse without their permission.
Bendann’s attorneys, Christopher Nieto and Gary Proctor, claimed that their client was in a consensual relationship with the man after he turned 18 and disputed that the videos were child sexual abuse material.
“Mr. Bendann did not sexually exploit a minor or knowingly possess child pornography,” Nieto said in his closing argument.
But in her closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Hagan said the man was “not in a relationship.” Instead, she said, he was “in hell.”
“This was a side of Mr. Bendann that the Gilman community did not see,” Hagan said.
“Sexual exploitation of a child can occur in any community,” she added. “All it takes is a perpetrator with a hidden agenda.”
When will he be sentenced?
Sentencing is set for 1 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2025.
How much prison time does he face?
Sexual exploitation of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. The maximum is 30 years. A judge has the discretion to impose consecutive or concurrent sentences.
Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to 10 years. Meanwhile, cyberstalking at most comes with five years.
People often do not receive the maximum sentence, especially if they do not have a prior criminal record.
But the decision entirely rests with U.S. Senior District Judge James Bredar.
He must impose a punishment that’s sufficient but not greater than necessary to fulfill the purposes of sentencing, which include reflecting the seriousness of the crime, providing adequate deterrence and protecting the public.
The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System will prepare a presentence report. Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys can file memos ahead of sentencing.
Where will he be incarcerated?
The Federal Bureau of Prisons will decide. It maintains facilities that provide specialized services to sex offenders.
Bendann is being held in the Chesapeake Detention Facility in Baltimore while he awaits sentencing.
