Palm Desert Man Who Spied On Boys In Restaurant Restroom Sentenced

PALM DESERT, CA — A Palm Desert man who was arrested earlier this year after he illegally recorded boys using a restaurant bathroom was sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison.

Joseph Paul Seiders, 45, a Coachella Valley musician, pleaded guilty in June to felony possession of child pornography and misdemeanor counts of intent to invade privacy through use of a concealed camera, annoying minors and attempted invasion of privacy via cameras, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Seiders pleaded directly to Judge Dean Benjamini of Riverside County Superior Court, without talks between defense and prosecution.

At Wednesday’s hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Benjamini handed down the upper-term sentence for the felony charge, while the shorter misdemeanor terms were either dismissed or absorbed into the prison sentence.

Seiders, 44 at the time, was first arrested on April 9 after deputies responded to a report of suspicious activity at a business in the 73000 block of Dinah Shore Drive. Two days earlier, on April 7, an 11-year-old boy had told deputies that a man recorded him while he was using the restroom at the same location, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

RELATED: Palm Desert Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Filming Child In Restroom

A second report was made April 9 by an employee who said a man was entering and exiting the restroom with young boys. Deputies arrived and arrested Seiders at the scene.

Following his arrest, investigators with the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station served search warrants on Seiders' home, vehicle, and cellphone, uncovering evidence linking him to the incidents and additional alleged crimes, including the possession of child pornography.

On June 5, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed new charges against Seiders, including committing lewd acts with a minor by force or fear, using or coercing a minor to produce child pornography, possession of child pornography, annoying or molesting a child and invasion of privacy. These charges stem from two victims who weren't associated with the original incidents, the Sheriff's Department released in an update on Friday.

After his arrest, it was confirmed that Seiders had spent the past decade as the drummer for the indie band New Pornographers.

In a statement, the group said, "Everyone in the band is absolutely shocked, horrified and devastated by the news of the charges aginst Joe Seiders — and we have immediately severed all ties with him. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by his actions."

Court records show Seiders had no prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

City News Service contributed to this report.