Teacher accused of having sex with boy, 14, hit with 52 more charges

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An Illinois high school teacher who was busted in March for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student now faces dozens of additional charges.

Christina Formella, 30, who was arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of a male student in what was initially believed to be an isolated incident, now faces more than 50 additional charges after investigators allege they found “hundreds if not thousands of text messages” between the teacher and the boy, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The former Downers Grove South High School teacher now faces 55 charges – 52 new charges in addition to the original three – including multiple counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming.

Michael Formella – the accused’s husband of one year who was in the car with her when she was first arrested – held his wife’s hand as they arrived in Illinois court on Tuesday, photos obtained by the New York Post show.

She was arraigned on 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, plus multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and six counts of grooming.

Prosecutors urged the judge to revoke Formella’s bail and lock her up.

“She knew what she was doing was wrong,” prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew said, according to the Tribune, adding that she “is unbelievably conniving and unbelievably controlling.”

There was also evidence the ex-special education teacher told the boy she did not intend to marry her husband, that her husband was having an affair with her best friend and was going to leave her, and that she would then have millions of dollars, according to the Daily Herald.

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But while the judge called the case “horrifying in nature,” “shocking” and “appalling,” she allowed her to walk free with an ankle monitor.

Formella is accused of grooming the boy before engaging in about 50 “sexual acts” with him between January 2023 and September 2024 in classrooms and at her home during school hours, the prosecutor’s office said.

The sexual relationship ended when the boy said it was wrong, the State’s Attorney’s Office said.

If convicted, she faces up to 60 years in prison.