Joseph Seiders, drummer for the Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, is now facing a broader set of charges after authorities identified two more minor victims in an expanding child pornography investigation. The 44-year-old Palm Desert resident was initially arrested on April 9 following an incident involving an 11-year-old boy in a Chick-fil-A restroom, as reported by KTLA.
On June 5, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed new charges against Seiders, including lewd acts with minors, production and possession of child pornography, and harassment. According to investigators, the latest allegations accuse Seiders of coercing minors to create explicit material and forcibly molesting them. Details about the newly identified victims, including their ages and genders, have not been released.
The case began when a child reported seeing a phone camera pointed at him from under a bathroom stall. The subsequent investigation led law enforcement to seize Seiders’ phone, vehicle, and home computer, where evidence allegedly confirmed the incident and uncovered additional material. Seiders remains in custody at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. Authorities are continuing to search for more victims and urge anyone with information to contact Investigator Iniguez at 760-836-1600.
In a statement posted to Instagram, The New Pornographers said they were "shocked, horrified and devastated" by the charges and announced they had severed all ties with Seiders. The band expressed support for the victims and emphasized zero tolerance for the alleged behavior. The investigation is ongoing and is expected to widen as more digital evidence is reviewed. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of additional charges.
