A New Orleans piano teacher is sitting in jail without bond after his arrest on a slate of child-sex charges, including first-degree rape. Authorities say the accusations stretch back years and involve multiple young students. The defendant, 47-year-old Joshua D. Wexler, is being held while the court weighs whether he is too dangerous to be released, with a dangerousness hearing expected in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
Arrest and charges
Wexler was booked on counts that include first-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile and two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, and a judge ordered him held without bond, according to NOLA.com. The outlet reports that Wexler split his time between New York and New Orleans and marketed himself as a private piano instructor, with an online biography touting a roster of high-profile clients. His attorney, Ethan Balogh, declined to offer immediate comment when contacted.
Court proceedings
For now, Wexler remains in custody as prosecutors prepare for a dangerousness hearing in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. The court’s website lists Magistrate Juana M. Lombard among its magistrates and identifies the Criminal District Court at 2700 Tulane Avenue in New Orleans, according to the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
Allegations outlined in affidavit
An arrest affidavit and related court filings lay out several alleged incidents in 2020 and earlier. The documents accuse Wexler of raping a 6-year-old in April 2020 while he was babysitting the child during a family emergency, and of groping a 4-year-old boy under his clothes during a private piano lesson in February 2020, as reported by NOLA.com. The affidavit also alleges that a girl taking lessons from Wexler was molested between about 2017 and 2020, when she was roughly 10 to 13 years old, and that the 6-year-old first reported the assault in June 2025 after investigators requested a forensic medical exam. According to the affidavit, “Wexler would continue the lesson and act normally afterward as if nothing had happened.”
Legal outlook
The first-degree rape count alone carries one of the harshest penalties under Louisiana law. A conviction is punishable by life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. In cases involving a victim under 13, prosecutors who pursue a capital verdict can seek either the death penalty or life at hard labor, according to state statutes.
Local context
The case arrives amid a string of headline-grabbing prosecutions in New Orleans involving teachers and music instructors accused of sex crimes, putting pressure on both criminal courts and school communities. Recent local coverage of similar allegations and bond fights has appeared on WDSU and Fox8.
What's next
Wexler remains locked up without bond while the court sets a date for the dangerousness hearing and prosecutors continue reviewing the file. Public records and upcoming hearings in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court will determine whether additional charges are filed and if or when a trial date is scheduled.
