Stefan Zappey has been sentenced to federal prison for sexually abusing four of his former elementary school students near Stuttgart, Germany.
According to the Department of Justice, the charges and other information presented in court: Stefan Zappey sexually abused four of his former elementary school students between 2006 and 2010. At the time, Zappey was employed by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) federal school system as a first- through third-grade teacher at Patch Elementary school. The school is located on a U.S. military installation near Stuttgart, Germany.
Specifically, in 2019, Army criminal investigators were notified that one of Zappey’s former students reported that Zappey touched her inappropriately under her clothing when she was a student at Patch Elementary in 2009 and 2010. An investigation that followed revealed that four of Zappey’s former students reported that Zappey placed his hand inside their underwear and directly touched their genitals on multiple occasions. The victims were between six and eight years old and were elementary school students at the time of the sexual abuse. At trial, other students and faculty members of Patch Elementary reported that Zappey frequently hugged students, had them sit on his lap, and touched their backs and stomachs under their clothes.
Stefan Zappey, 57, of Stuttgart, Germany, has been sentenced to life in prison, and to pay a special assessment of $800.00. Zappey was found guilty by a jury on January 18, 2023.