A Connecticut woman who worked as a teacher at a New York school for students with special needs has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for enticing a student into having a sexual relationship.
Sandy Carazas-Pinez, 36, of Bethel was also ordered by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan to serve five years of supervised release once her prison term is complete, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a news release last Friday.
The sentencing comes after she previously pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, officials said.
“Sexual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “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.”
According to authorities, Carazas-Pinez worked as a high school teacher at the Biondi School, a special education school in Yonkers, New York, where she “abused her position” to induce a 16-year-old student into a sexual relationship between November 2022 and February 2023. Federal officials said she “singled out” the student with “personal attention” and led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship.
Authorities said Carazas-Pinez would also call, text and video call the student to arrange sexual encounters over video calls. She would allegedly refer to the conduct as “gifts” and would send “suggestive photographs” of herself along with “sexually explicit” text messages, officials said. According to federal officials, she would tell the minor to delete the photos and messages after she sent them and “inquired repeatedly” as to whether the victim had actually done so.
Carazas-Pinez also allegedly would tell the student to obtain day passes from school, allowing the victim to leave campus so they could meet up and drive somewhere else, officials said. On multiple occasions in and around the Bronx, Yonkers and Staten Island, authorities said, Carazas-Pinez had sex with the victim in her car.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the New York City Police Department.
