Latest news with #MichaelFormella
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Teacher accused of having sex with boy, 14, hit with 52 more charges
An Illinois high school teacher who was busted in March for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student now faces dozens of additional charges. Christina Formella, 30, who was arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of a male student in what was initially believed to be an isolated incident, now faces more than 50 additional charges after investigators allege they found 'hundreds if not thousands of text messages' between the teacher and the boy, the Chicago Tribune reported. The former Downers Grove South High School teacher now faces 55 charges – 52 new charges in addition to the original three – including multiple counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming. Michael Formella – the accused's husband of one year who was in the car with her when she was first arrested – held his wife's hand as they arrived in Illinois court on Tuesday, photos obtained by the New York Post show. She was arraigned on 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, plus multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and six counts of grooming. Prosecutors urged the judge to revoke Formella's bail and lock her up. 'She knew what she was doing was wrong,' prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew said, according to the Tribune, adding that she 'is unbelievably conniving and unbelievably controlling.' There was also evidence the ex-special education teacher told the boy she did not intend to marry her husband, that her husband was having an affair with her best friend and was going to leave her, and that she would then have millions of dollars, according to the Daily Herald. But while the judge called the case 'horrifying in nature,' 'shocking' and 'appalling,' she allowed her to walk free with an ankle monitor. Formella is accused of grooming the boy before engaging in about 50 'sexual acts' with him between January 2023 and September 2024 in classrooms and at her home during school hours, the prosecutor's office said. Texas teacher slept with student who she saw as 'little brother': Cops Married Ohio teacher jailed for sex with 17-year-old student Former teacher of the year gets 30 years for sexually assaulting students The sexual relationship ended when the boy said it was wrong, the State's Attorney's Office said. If convicted, she faces up to 60 years in prison.
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Teacher accused of having sex with boy, 14, hit with 52 more charges
Teacher Christina Formella, accused of having sex with student, hit with 52 additional charges. Facebook An Illinois high school teacher who was busted in March for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student now faces dozens of additional charges. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Christina Formella, 30, who was arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of a male student in what was initially believed to be an isolated incident, now faces more than 50 additional charges after investigators allege they found 'hundreds if not thousands of text messages' between the teacher and the boy, the Chicago Tribune reported. The former Downers Grove South High School teacher now faces 55 charges – 52 new charges in addition to the original three – including multiple counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming. Michael Formella – the accused's husband of one year who was in the car with her when she was first arrested – held his wife's hand as they arrived in Illinois court on Tuesday, photos obtained by the New York Post show. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She was arraigned on 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, plus multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and six counts of grooming. Prosecutors urged the judge to revoke Formella's bail and lock her up. Mugshot of Christina Formella, 30, an Illinois teacher accused of sexually abusing 15-year-old student. (Dupage County State's Attorney) Dupage County State's Attorney 'She knew what she was doing was wrong,' prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew said, according to the Tribune , adding that she 'is unbelievably conniving and unbelievably controlling.' There was also evidence the ex-special education teacher told the boy she did not intend to marry her husband, that her husband was having an affair with her best friend and was going to leave her, and that she would then have millions of dollars, according to the Daily Herald . RECOMMENDED VIDEO This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But while the judge called the case 'horrifying in nature,' 'shocking' and 'appalling,' she allowed her to walk free with an ankle monitor. Formella is accused of grooming the boy before engaging in about 50 'sexual acts' with him between January 2023 and September 2024 in classrooms and at her home during school hours, the prosecutor's office said. Read More The sexual relationship ended when the boy said it was wrong, the State's Attorney's Office said. If convicted, she faces up to 60 years in prison. NHL Toronto & GTA Canada Soccer Columnists
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Husband stands by married teacher who had allegedly groomed her student
The husband of American teacher Christina Formella accused of raping a 15-year-old student stood by his wife as she arrived in court Tuesday to face accusations that she abused the teenager 45 times. Formella, 30, is now staring down dozens of new criminal counts, including sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming, according to the Chicago Tribune. She walked up to DuPage County Circuit Court in Illinois hand-in-hand with her spouse, Michael, and accompanied by her defence team, according to footage obtained by The Post from TikTokker Abby Blabby. The couple did not speak as they entered the courthouse. Formella was accused by prosecutors of grooming the teen boy before sexually assaulting him at least 45 times, including while classes were in session at Downers Grove South High School and at her home, The Tribune reported. She was initially only charged with three criminal counts and pleaded not guilty to the slew of new charges Tuesday. Formella married Michael, her childhood sweetheart, in a lavish destination wedding in Italy's Amalfi Coast last July – just nine months before the charges were laid. Formella was initially charged in March, with dramatic police bodycam footage showing the moment she realised she was the subject of police investigation. The special education teacher first met the student in 2023 when she was his first-year soccer coach but then began tutoring the boy in private sessions after he broke his collarbone, documents obtained by TMZ allege. Within weeks the young educator is accused of initially messaging the boy on a digital school platform – which then quickly escalated into 'flirty texts' and eventually to an alleged sexual assault during a tutoring session in a classroom. The horrifying extent of the alleged abuse only came to light several months later when the boy's mum bought him a new phone and uncovered a string of 'inappropriate' texts from his former teacher. Text messages allegedly exchanged between the pair include one which read, 'I love having sex with you,' as others contained 'lurid lines' she reportedly sent the boy, the New York Post reported on March 19. 'I love you so so much mama,' the boy sent Formella in one text. 'I love you sooooo much baby … Even though this morning was short, it was perfect,' the teacher, then 28, allegedly responded. 'I know baby it was perfect baby so perfect,' the boy replied back, before Formella opined about how much she loved having sex with him. 'I know baby I love it so much … It feels so good … It's so passionate … It's so intimate … It's so perfect,' the boy said. They allegedly later acknowledged to each other what they did was 'wrong', and never had sex again, with contact ending between them in February 2024. Formella first appeared in court in April this year. According to the New York Post, Formella 'appeared glammed up with a full face of make-up' as she entered the DuPage County Courthouse. On that occasion, Michael reportedly sat 'emotionless in court' as the prosecution went over the charges against his wife, and set out how — if convicted — she would have to sign on to the sex offender registry. Her father-in-law, Randy Formella, was also in court, the New York Post reported. The Formella family – who run an Italian food manufacturing business – haven't spoken publicly about the allegations.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Staggering number of times glamorous teacher is accused of sleeping with student as husband stands by her side amid fresh claims
A glamorous teacher accused of grooming an underage student allegedly slept the teen boy at least 50 times. Christina Formella, 30, faced an Illinois court on Tuesday as she was hit with 52 new charges, supported by her loyal husband Michael, who has stood by her side throughout the scandal. The teacher and soccer coach is now accused of additional counts of sexual assault, indecent solicitation of a child, grooming and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. According to the new complaint, Formella groomed a 15-year-old male student and then had sex with him at least 45 times at Downers Grove South High School while classes were in session, and another five times at her home. She was the boy's soccer coach and tutor. The alleged abuse began in January 2023 and continued through at least August 2024. It was only discovered when the student's mother found disturbing messages between the two when she logged into her son's iCloud account. 'The new allegations against Ms. Formella, including the allegations of grooming and that the abuse lasted nearly two years, are beyond disturbing,' State Attorney Robert Berlin said. 'I thank the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward during what I image is an extremely difficult time for him.' Prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew told the court that the new evidence suggests Formella first began contacting the boy when he was just 14 years old. The contact, McAndrew said, lasted far longer than prosecutors initially believed when she was initially charged. Formella was arrested in March during a traffic stop outside of Chicago and initially charged with just three criminal counts. She has pleaded not guilty. 'She is unbelieving conniving, and she is unbelieving controlling,' McAndrew told the judge, according to the Daily Herald. McAndrew claimed Formella had told the boy she did not intend to marry her husband, and that he was having an affair with her best friend. Formella allegedly told him that her husband would leave her and she would come into millions of dollars. It is also alleged that she was texting the boy while on a vacation with her husband in Italy. Shocking police bodycam footage captured the moment she was arrested as she sat in her car next to her husband. DuPage County prosecutors claimed that during her police interview, Formella tried to portray her victim as a boy obsessed with a teacher because she's 'good looking' and claimed her husband was aware of the situation. 'Throughout her interview, [Formella] tried to paint [the accuser] as her 'stalker' and claimed that her husband was aware,' prosecutors said in court documents obtained by the New York Post. However, her husband told investigators it was the first time he had heard about a situation involving the boy. 'Oddly enough, her husband told detectives that he knows nothing about [the accuser] beyond his status as a soccer player,' prosecutors said. Formella allegedly sent shockingly lewd messages to the boy, telling him how much she 'loves him' and 'loves having sex' with him. The teacher has maintained that she never sexually assaulted the student and that 'everybody comes after her because she is good-looking,' according to court documents. She confessed to police that she 'cared too much' about the student, but claimed that he broke into her phone and sent the text messages as blackmail. 'She claimed that one day, [the boy], had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode... had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail,' the documents said. Formella's next court appearance is scheduled for August 4, 2025.
