Elite Hollywood pedophile pianist extracted from Australia after going on the run

A once-respected West Hollywood piano instructor — who bolted to Australia in a desperate bid to escape justice — has been hauled back to Los Angeles to face sentencing after a jury convicted him of gruesome sex crimes involving a teenage student.

John Michael Kaleel, 69, was picked up on Thursday by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies at LAX after being extradited from Australia, authorities confirmed. The veteran music teacher — who taught lessons for decades and counted children of Hollywood families among his clients — fled the country in October 2025 while jurors were deliberating in his abuse trial.

The dramatic return involved the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, and the Australian Federal Police. Once Australian authorities detained him, US Marshals escorted him back to the United States.