36-year-old married teacher bags 25-year jail sentence having s3x with 16-year-old mentally ill student

A special needs teacher has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for s3xually coercing a vulnerable 16-year-old student with a mental illness. 

 

Sandy Carazas-Pines, 36, a married mother-of-three, spent three months persuading the teenager into a s3xual relationship while working at the Biondi School, a city-funded institution in Yonkers, New York.

 

The former teacher led the student to believe they were in a romantic relationship between November 2022 and February 2023. She used calls, texts, and video chats to arrange encounters, instructing the teen to obtain day passes from his school to meet her. Carazas-Pines would then park in locations around the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island to have s3x with him.

 Prosecutors told the court that the teacher forced the boy to live-stream "s3xually explicit conduct" while on video calls with her, which she described as "gifts." The case included a dossier of disturbing messages between the pair. In one exchange discussing a potential breakup, Carazas-Pines said, "I know for me it isn't going to be easy, I will miss your kisses, hugs and everything ... I sound like a pervert." In another message, she stated, "I usually go for much older men... you're the crazy exception," and, "You made yourself seem like you were a complete prude, but you have your fair share of experience and experimenting."

 

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, said, "s3xual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker. Sandy Carazas-Pines betrayed her role and coerced a 16-year-old into a s3xual relationship. Actions of this type by anyone, particularly a teacher or other persons of trust will not be tolerated."

 

 

Carazas-Pines was fired from the Biondi School in March 2023. She had previously been jailed for violating her bail conditions after she emailed a student a day after he turned 18, wishing him a happy birthday, which violated a court order forbidding unsupervised contact with any child under 18.

 

The victim's mother revealed her son has a schizophrenia diagnosis and a mood disorder. "It's the r@pe of a child with a mental illness," she said. "As a society, we have to prioritise the safety of children who are mentally ill and who are s3xually assaulted."