US Teacher Jailed for 25 Years for Exploiting Mentally Ill Teenager
By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News
A 36-year-old special needs teacher, Sandy Carazas-Pines, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in New York for s3xually exploiting a 16-year-old student with a mental illness.
Carazas-Pines, a married mother-of-three, worked at the Biondi School, a city-funded institution in Yonkers. According to court records, she manipulated the teenager between November 2022 and February 2023, grooming him into what she described as a “relationship.”
Grooming and Secret Meetings
Prosecutors revealed that the teacher used calls, texts, and video chats to persuade the boy to secure day passes from school, which she used to arrange meetings in the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island.
She also forced the victim to live-stream explicit acts during video calls, describing them as “gifts.” Disturbing messages presented in court showed her admitting, “I know I sound like a pervert… I will miss your kisses, hugs and everything.”
Another message read: “I usually go for much older men… you’re the crazy exception.”
Prosecutors Condemn Exploitation
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, said the case represented a serious breach of trust.
“S3xual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker. Sandy Carazas-Pines betrayed her role and coerced a vulnerable teenager. Actions like this will not be tolerated,” he stated.
Carazas-Pines was dismissed from the school in March 2023 and previously violated bail conditions when she contacted the boy after he turned 18, despite a court order forbidding unsupervised contact.
Victim’s Family Speaks Out
The victim’s mother revealed her son lives with schizophrenia and a mood disorder, describing the abuse as “the r@pe of a child with a mental illness.”
“As a society, we must prioritise the safety of mentally ill children who face such assaults,” she added.
Following her prison term, Carazas-Pines will also serve five years under supervised release.
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