A 36-year-old teacher, Sandy Carazas-Pinez, has been handed a 25-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a 16-year-old student at a school catering to special needs students in New York. The sentencing, announced by US Attorney Jay Clayton, came after Carazas-Pinez was found guilty of luring the minor into engaging in unlawful sexual activities.
The married mother of three, who previously worked as a teacher in New York City at a Yonkers school for children with special needs, manipulated her student into believing they were in a romantic relationship, according to prosecutors. She used her mobile phone to arrange sexual encounters with the student and coerced him into live-streaming explicit acts during video calls.
Law enforcement discovered text messages where Carazas-Pinez expressed reluctance to end the relationship, mentioning how she would miss the student’s affectionate gestures. Additionally, she encouraged the student to obtain day passes to leave school premises for secret rendezvous for sexual activities. She also sent sexually suggestive content to the student, urging him to delete the messages afterward.
US Attorney Clayton condemned Carazas-Pinez’s actions, stating that such exploitation by educators is unacceptable and a severe breach of trust. The convicted teacher was terminated from her position at Bondi school in March 2023 and subsequently incarcerated for violating her bail conditions, which prohibited unsupervised contact with minors under 18. Despite the restrictions, she reached out to a former student on his 18th birthday, prompting criticism from her own legal counsel.