Former Silver Spring Teacher Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Pleads Guilty

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher pleaded guilty Friday to multiple counts of sexual abuse of students during his time at Cloverly Elementary School.

John Vigna, 57, of Silver Spring pleaded guilty to one count of sexual child abuse and three counts of sexual abuse of a minor between 2001 and 2016, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Vigna’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 7. The state’s attorney said it will request a 30-year suspended prison sentence with probation supervised by the COMET Unit, or Collaborative Offender Management/Enforced Treatment, of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation with conditions including no unsupervised contact with minors.

As a result of the conviction, Vigna will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Vigna served more than six years in prison before his release last September and will face an additional 23 years if he were to violate probation under the plea agreement. The victims were in support of the plea agreement, according to the state’s attorney.

READ ALSO: Convicted Of Sexual Abuse In 2017, Silver Spring Teacher Released

In 2017, Vigna was sentenced to 48 years in prison for assaulting four female students from 2001 to 2016. He worked for MCPS from 1992 to 2016 and taught third through fifth grade, according to court documents.

But last July, a Maryland judge struck down the 2017 convictions, ruling that Vigna's lawyer was ineffective and that Vigna deserved a new trial over allegations he fondled five students. Vigna was freed on a $100,000 bond in September, and his 48-year sentence was thrown out.

On Nov. 30, a new case was filed against him, charging him with sexual abuse of a minor and other sex offenses, according to court records.

“This is an appropriate resolution given all of the challenges that would arise should the case go to trial,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement. “The state received unfavorable rulings in pre-trial motions hearings that would have required some of the victims’ cases to be tried separately.”

Vigna’s “admission of guilt following nearly a decade of denial is vindication for the victims and the community,” McCarthy said.

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