Tutor who sexually assaulted girl at Springfield library gets 30 years in prison

Giacomo Bologna
Springfield News-Leader
John Paul Sparapani

A man was sentenced in federal court Friday to 30 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a girl at a Springfield library, prosecutors say.

John Paul Sparapani, 30, also took pornographic photos of the student he was tutoring in a private room of the library, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Sparapani allegedly gave the victim candy and Pokemon cards as rewards.

He pleaded guilty in February to using a minor to produce child pornography, the release said.

Sparapani was previously charged with and pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in August, the release said. Later that month, the release said a 12-year-old girl came forward to her mother and said Sparapani had sexually assaulted her during tutoring sessions since the age of 10.

More:Tutor took exploitative photos of 10-year-old girl at Springfield library, feds say

According to the release, Sparapani withdrew his guilty plea in the child pornography charge.

An officer with the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force identified Sparapani's computer as sharing child pornography in May 2015, the release said. In December 2015, officers seized three hard drives, two laptops and a cellphone from Sparapani's residence and found multiple images and videos of child pornography, according to the release.

Kathleen O'Dell, a spokeswoman for the library district, previously told the News-Leader that a deputy from the Greene County Sheriff's Office had contacted the library about someone named Sparapani.

O'Dell said the library does have a record of someone with his name reserving a study room at the Library Center.

According to O'Dell, the library has a strict code of conduct and claims of inappropriate behavior occurring in the library are addressed swiftly and can result in the patron being removed from the library.

O'Dell said tutors hold hundreds of sessions each month with students at the 10 libraries in the district.