A former Omaha Catholic school principal facing child pornography charges made his first court appearance on Thursday.
Marlan Burki, of Tecumseh, was the principal at All Saints School from 2006 to 2018. Burki is facing federal charges of producing child pornography, and if convicted could face 15 to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Court records say that Burki should not be granted release while his trial unfolds, “based upon the information presented, and the explicit nature of the crime to a child who has yet to be identified, that the defendant needs to stay detained. There is a substantial risk of harm to the public.”
The records also state that there is probable cause to believe that Burki is a man known to the FBI as “John Doe 42.” The FBI Omaha Division sent out a picture of “John Doe 42” on September 30th, asking for the public’s help identifying him.
On September 30th, the FBI said he “may have information about the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation.”
The U.S. Attorney stated in court Thursday that multiple teachers who worked with Burki brought the picture the FBI released of "John Doe 42″ to the principal’s attention stating it closely resembled Burki. Two people, a law enforcement official and a former coworker of Burki, said that the picture of “John Doe 42” is not Burki.
However, after hearing arguments from both sides on Thursday, the judge ruled there is probable cause to believe that Burki is the wanted man.
Burki has also served as the principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in Beatrice.