Men [of God] at work Oklahoma

05 Mar 2001

OKLAHOMA

TULSA - A former Sunday school teacher who was sentenced to more than two life terms in his state case for multiple sex crimes against children has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

John Perry Sanger, 54, of Bristow, was indicted on one count each of use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual depiction, interstate transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography in the July through Sept. 1999 incidents. The fourth count would require the forfeiture of his real estate in Bristow and a considerable amount of computer and electronic equipment if he is convicted of the possession count.

Sanger pleaded guilty in state court March 29 to 3 counts of rape by instrumentation and 2 counts each of lewd molestation, indecent exposure and lewd acts against a child under the age of 16. A judge ordered him to serve two consecutive life sentences, plus 20 years, as punishment.

Bristow police have contended that Sanger's case might include up to 20 victims, although the charges stemmed from only two, a 9-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister, who attended church with Sanger.

The boy testified at the state hearing that he had on several occasions accepted invitations to go to Sanger's home to play computer games. On one of these occasions, the boy said, he was asked to take pictures of a nude Sanger on a bed with five "grown-up" women. The girl testified at the preliminary hearing that Sanger once asked her and another girl to undress during a game of "strip" poker at his home. Other juveniles were in the house when the victim lost a card game and Sanger performed a sexual act with her, according to a court affidavit. Federal charges were alluded to in Nov. when officials revealed that the FBI was also investigating the case.

An FBI agent said then that prosecutors would not take the case before a grand jury until federal officials had investigated further.

World 6/10/2000