Former Morgan City Teacher Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Enticing Student via Email
LAFAYETTE / Thursday, September 10, 2026 – On September 9, 2026, United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Katherine Albarado, 32, of Morgan City, to 60 months in federal prison for attempted possession of child pornography. Albarado had previously pled guilty to the charge.
“Predators—and especially people in positions of trust—who abuse our children have nowhere to hide in this District,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “We urge parents to remain vigilant and aware of their children’s digital and online communications, and this Office, along with our state and federal partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute those who exploit children for perverse, sexual purposes.”
According to court documents, in May 2022, Albarado was employed as a teacher at Morgan City High School. During this period, Albarado used a personal email account to initiate and continue email communications with a student whom Albarado knew to be 16 years old. The messages were aimed at enticing the student into illegal sexual contact. They were extremely graphic and included a request for the minor victim to send sexually explicit images of himself to her.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The Morgan City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren L. Nickel with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), PSC marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. Learn more at https://www.justice.gov/psc/about-project-safe-childhood.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 6:25-cr-00355-01.
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CONTACT:
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana
