A former teacher and basketball coach at Rowan County High School has been sentenced to over 20 years in federal prison for producing child pornography involving a student.
Andrew Zaheri, 40, of Morehead, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 22 years in prison for production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
According to his plea agreement, in the summer of 2022, Zaheri began a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student at the high school where he was employed as a teacher. The relationship continued through the school year and included Zaheri engaging in sexual acts with the victim during school hours, prosecutors said.
Zaheri further admitted that, during the course of the relationship, he produced sexually explicit images and videos of the teenager using his cell phone.
He must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. Upon his release, Zaheri will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 22 years.
Zaheri was an assistant boys basketball coach at the school.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Kentucky State Police.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
