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Utah high school band teacher charged with paying teen girls for nude photos

An assistant band teacher at Pleasant Grove High School has been charged with sexual exploitation after reportedly paying teenage girls — including at least one student — for nude pictures of themselves.

Luis Mendez-Gamino, 23, of Lindon, was charged in 4th District Court with 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and six counts of criminal solicitation, a class A misdemeanor. He was booked into the Utah County jail, where he is being held without bail.

According to Pleasant Grove police, Mendez-Gamino sent the 17-year-old student an Instagram message offering her $20 to $25 for each nude photo of herself she sent him, adding that he would pay her a total of $400 or more.