A once-respected West Hollywood piano instructor — who bolted to Australia in a desperate bid to escape justice — has been hauled back to Los Angeles to face sentencing after a jury convicted him of gruesome sex crimes involving a teenage student.
John Kaleel was convicted of multiple counts of committing lewd acts with one of his piano students in LA. Facebook/John KaleelJohn Michael Kaleel, 69, was picked up on Thursday by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies at LAX after being extradited from Australia, authorities confirmed. The veteran music teacher — who taught lessons for decades and counted children of Hollywood families among his clients — fled the country in October 2025 while jurors were deliberating in his abuse trial.
The pervy pianist was convicted in October of four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child age 14 or 15, and one felony count of lewd act upon a child under age 14. Prosecutors say the abuse began in 2011, when the victim was just 13 years old, and continued for years under the guise of music lessons.
The filthy acts first started with Kaleel allegedly asking the boy “to take measurements of [the victim’s] body parts, including his penis,” according to court records reviewed by the LA Times. During the trial, jurors heard disturbing details claiming that he smoked cannabis with the teen before engaging in oral sex, and convinced him to masturbate together on FaceTime, claiming it was “what friends do.”
Kaleel has been extradited from Australia to the US after he fled the country while awaiting his jury verdict. Facebook/John Kaleel“Our hearts remain with the victim who endured years of abuse by someone he trusted,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “That predator, John Michael Kaleel, was tried and convicted but attempted to escape justice by fleeing to Australia during jury deliberations. He has now learned the hard way that you can run but you cannot hide, a lesson he can contemplate while hopefully serving years of state prison.”
Kaleel’s disappearing act began on Oct. 8, the same day the jury returned the guilty verdict.
The dramatic return involved the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, and the Australian Federal Police. Once Australian authorities detained him, US Marshals escorted him back to the United States.
According to Hochman’s office, Kaleel’s sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 12. He faces 10 years and eight months in prison.
