New York Special Needs Teacher Receives 25-Year Sentence for Sexual Exploitation of Student
Sandy Carazas-Pinez Convicted of Coercing 16-Year-Old into Illicit Affair and Explicit Video Calls, Highlighting Educator Betrayal in New York Schools
YONKERS, NY. — Sandy Carazas-Pinez, a 36-year-old teacher from Bethel, Connecticut, was sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old special needs student at the Biondi School in Yonkers, New York. The affair spanned from November 2022 to February 2023, during which Carazas-Pinez, a married mother of three, singled out the boy for attention and arranged sexual encounters in various locations across the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island. She also coerced the student into streaming sexually explicit conduct during video calls, referring to these acts as "gifts," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Carazas-Pinez instructed the student to obtain day passes from school to facilitate their meetings and repeatedly urged him to delete explicit photographs and messages after viewing them. She was terminated from her position at the Biondi School in March 2023. The case highlights the betrayal of trust by an educator in a position of authority, particularly involving a vulnerable special needs student.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton condemned the actions, stating, “Sexual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker.” He further added, “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.”
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