The Illinois special education teacher accused of molesting a 15-year-old student is fighting back against the child sex crime accusations. The suspended teacher claims that the student set her up for blackmail and targeted her because she is “good-looking.”
As Blaze News reported this week, 30-year-old Christina Formella was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (Class 1 Felony), one count of criminal sexual assault (Class 1 Felony), and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (Class 2 Felony).
‘ … she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy].’
Formella – a married teacher at Downers Grove South High School — has been accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old student in December 2023. At the time of the alleged incident, Formella was 28 years old.
Citing DuPage County prosecutors, the New York Post reported that the mother of the alleged victim bought her son a new phone and linked it to his iCloud account. After doing so, the mother allegedly discovered text messages about a sexual relationship between her son and Formella.
After the mother confronted her son about the alleged illicit relationship with Formella — his tutor and soccer coach — the mother and son went to the Downers Grove Police Department on Saturday to report the alleged sexual assault to authorities.
The student claimed that he and Formella “were in a classroom for a tutoring session before school began, when Formella sexually assaulted the boy,” the DuPage County state’s attorney said in a statement.
However, Formella claimed she was the victim of a potential blackmail scheme by the student, who targeted her because she’s “good-looking.”
“[Formella said] everybody comes after her because she is good-looking, and she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy],” according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.
When investigators asked about the alleged sexually charged text messages to the student, Formella reportedly accused the student of breaking into her phone.
“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 read.
The student claimed to have ended their relationship, according to the New York Post.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin called the accusations against the teacher “extremely disturbing.”
“It is alleged that she used her position of trust and authority as a tutor and a coach to sexually assault a minor student,” Berlin stated. “The type of abuse and behavior alleged in this case will not be tolerated.”
Downers Grove Police Chief Michael DeVries described the child molestation allegations as a “deeply concerning case.”
“The safety and well-being of our children remain our highest priority, and we will take all necessary actions to ensure that anyone engaging in this type of conduct is held accountable,” DeVries added.
Formella has been in the special services department at Downers Grove South High School since the 2020-21 school year. She also coached boys’ and girls’ soccer.
Formella has been placed on administrative leave with pay, according to Downers Grove South High School Principal Arwen Lyp.
Formella was released from jail under the conditions that she not enter Downers Grove South High School, and she was ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Formella is scheduled to appear in court on April 14.
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