A New York teacher who sexually abused a 16-year-old student at a special needs school has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, authorities announced.
Sandy Carazas-Pinez, 36, received the quarter-century sentence plus five years of supervised release on Friday from U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan. She was convicted of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, according to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton.
Prosecutors stated that between November 2022 and February 2023, Carazas-Pinez, a former New York City public school teacher, led her 16-year-old student to believe they were in a romantic relationship. The abuse occurred while she worked at a city-funded Yonkers school for children with special needs.
Carazas-Pinez, a married mother of three from Bethel, Connecticut, used her cellphone to coordinate the abuse. She texted, called, and video chatted with the teen to arrange in-person sexual encounters. Authorities noted she also forced the student to livestream “sexually explicit conduct” during video calls, which she described to him as “gifts.”
She directed the teen to obtain day passes from his school to leave campus and meet her. They would then drive and park in locations across the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island for sexual activity.
In discussions about ending the relationship, Carazas-Pinez allegedly texted the boy, “I know for me it isn’t going to be easy, I will miss your kisses, hugs and everything.” She also sent him sexually suggestive content and repeatedly instructed him to delete the communications.
U.S. Attorney Clayton condemned her actions in a statement: “Sexual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker. Sandy Carazas-Pinez betrayed her role and, through explicit texts and other means, coerced a 16-year-old into a sexual relationship. Actions of this type by anyone, particularly a teacher or other person of trust, will not be tolerated.”
Carazas-Pinez was terminated from the Biondi School, run by the nonprofit Rising Ground, in March 2023.
Judge Cronan had previously remanded Carazas-Pinez into custody after she violated her bail conditions. She was forbidden from having unsupervised contact with minors but emailed another former student just one day after he turned 18 to wish him a happy birthday—behavior her own lawyer called “troubling” at the time.