Marlan Burki
Federal authorities allege that a former Catholic school principal in Nebraska is the man pictured in a widely disseminated poster of a bearded, gray-haired man involved in child pornography, the man’s attorney said Wednesday.
A court hearing for Marlan Burki, 62, was scheduled for Wednesday in Lincoln, but it has been delayed until Thursday. The case file against him is sealed.
Omaha attorney Steve Lefler, who is representing Burki, said it’s a clear case of mistaken identity. He said it’s his understanding that someone reported to authorities that his client is the man pictured in an FBI “most wanted” poster — “John Doe 42.”
Burki was principal at All Saints School in Omaha from 2006 to 2018, said Deacon Tim McNeil, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Omaha.
Last year, Burki was principal at St. Joseph Catholic School in Beatrice, according to a statement by the Lincoln Diocese.
Sept. 30, the FBI issued a press release about John Doe 42, asking for the public’s help in identifying the man pictured “because he may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in a sexual exploitation investigation.”
Authorities said video of the man was recorded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in August 2019. Data embedded in the video file shows that the video was produced in October 2015.
