A 50-year-old Taekwondo instructor was convicted of sexually abusing female students while traveling with them for tournaments throughout California and Nevada, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Marc Scott Gitelman was found guilty Tuesday of three felony counts including oral copulation of a person under 18, unlawful sexual intercourse and lewd act upon a child, a news release from the DA’s office stated.
The crimes occurred between 2007 and 2013, at which time Gitelman owned his own school and taught at several community centers and at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Deputy DA Kelsey McKeever-Unger.
During this period, Gitelman also traveled with students to tournaments throughout California and Nevada.
In May 2010, as well as in September and October of 2011, Gitelman sexually molested two female students at separate times in Los Angeles County, McKeever-Unger said. Their ages ranged between 15 and 16 years old.
In January 2014, two of the girls filed a complaint against Gitelman alleging sexual abuse with USA Taekwondo, the national governing body for the sport in the United States, according to the DA’s office.
Several months later, the two girls and a third victim went to authorities about the sexual assaults.
Gitelman was scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 26, at which time he faces up to four years and eight months in state prison, the release stated.
He will also have to register as a sex offender for life.