CRIME & COURTS

Fake 'Twilight' actor pleads guilty of sexual abuse

Katherine Klingseis
kklingseis@dmreg.com

A California man who authorities said impersonated a "Twilight" series actor to entice Jasper County girls in 2014 pleaded guilty of sexual abuse Monday.

David Anthony LaVera, 33, of San Diego pleaded guilty to a third-degree sexual abuse charge in Jasper County on Monday. His sentencing hearing has been set for 9:30 a.m. June 8, according to court documents.

LaVera previously pleaded guilty to federal possession of child pornography charges in March. His plea deal called for 63 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

PREVIOUSLY: Man accused of posing as actor enters plea in federal court

Authorities said LaVera posed as "Kiowa Gordon," an actor in the "Twilight" series, and visited Aurora Heights Intermediate and Berg Middle School, both in Newton, in spring 2014.

LaVera used his celebrity status to entice a 14-year-old girl and then inappropriately touched her and lured her into his vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

Police arrested LaVera on charges of enticing a minor, carrying weapons and failure to have a valid driver's license near Baxter on June 10.

On Aug. 6, the Newton Police Department filed six new charges against LaVera. Criminal complaints for these charges said he confessed to police that he touched a 14-year-old girl's genitals.

The complaints also stated LaVera used his smartphone to take videos of a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old while they were showering and using the bathroom.

LaVera was federally indicted in October on one count of sexual exploitation of a child — production of child pornography — and one count of possession of child pornography. He originally pleaded not guilty to the federal charges in October, but then entered a guilty plea in March.

Four state charges — two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of invasion of privacy — were dismissed in December. LaVera still faced state charges of enticing a minor under 16, carrying weapons, attempting to entice a minor under 16 and third-degree sexual abuse.

LaVera pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree sexual abuse, a felony carrying a penalty of up to a 10-year prison term and a fine of at least $1,000 but no more than $10,000.

Court documents show LaVera's sentencing hearing has been set for 9:30 a.m. June 8 in Jasper County. As part of the plea deal, LaVera agreed to not appeal the sentence in exchange for his other state charges being dropped when the time period for appeals runs out, said Jasper County Attorney Mike Jacobsen.