On July 12, SDNY US Attorney Damian Williams announced the unsealing of a two-count Indictment charging SANDY CARAZAS-PINEZ with enticing a minor victim to engage in illegal sexual activity and production of child pornography. As alleged in the Indictment, CARAZAS-PINEZ, a former high school teacher at the Biondi School in Yonkers, enticed one of her 16-year old students to engage in sexual activity with her and further induced the same student to participate in live-streamed sexually explicit conduct while on video calls with CARAZAS-PINEZ. CARAZAS-PINEZ was arrested on July 13 and no longer works for the Yonkers Public Schools.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Sandy Carazas-Pinez exploited the trust placed in her as a teacher to sexually abuse a teenage student in her care. Today’s indictment makes clear that my Office will continue to tirelessly pursue sexual predators of all forms – especially those who are entrusted to care for children – and hold them accountable to the fullest extent under the law.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Christie M. Curtis said: “As alleged, Ms. Carazas-Pinez, a former high school teacher, enticed one of her students to engage in sexual activity and live-stream sexually explicit conduct. “
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
CARAZAS-PINEZ was a high school teacher at a school for kindergarten through 12th grade students located in Yonkers, New York (“School-1”). From in or about November 2022 through in or about February 2023, CARAZAS-PINEZ abused her position as a teacher at School-1 by inducing and attempting to induce a student (“Minor Victim-1”) at School-1 into a sexual relationship with CARAZAS-PINEZ. Minor Victm-1 was 16 years old at the time of the abuse.
CARAZAS-PINEZ singled out Minor Victim-1 for personal attention at School-1. In addition, CARAZAS-PINEZ induced Minor Victim-1 to engage in sexual activity with her by leading Minor Victim-1 to believe that they were in a romantic relationship.
CARAZAS-PINEZ used her personal cellphone to call, text, and video call Minor Victim-1 to arrange sexual encounters and to repeatedly induce Minor Victim-1 to engage in live-streamed sexually explicit conduct while on video calls with CARAZAS-PINEZ. In text messages with Minor Victim-1, CARAZAS-PINEZ referred to her sexual encounters with Minor Victim-1 and the live depictions of sexually explicit conduct she induced Minor Victim-1 to create as “gifts.”
CARAZAS-PINEZ also used her personal cellphone to send Minor Victim-1 sexually suggestive photographs of herself along with sexually explicit text messages. After sending the photographs and messages, CARAZAS-PINEZ instructed Minor Victim-1 to delete them and inquired repeatedly as to whether Minor Victim-1 had done so.
The indictment also alleges that Carazas-Pinez engaged in sexual activity with the minor student at the Biondi school.
To facilitate their sexual encounters outside the premises of School-1, CARAZAS-PINEZ directed Minor Vicitim-1 in text messages to obtain day passes from School-1 to be permitted to leave campus. CARAZAS-PINEZ then met Minor Victim-1 at a location near School-1’s campus and drove Minor Victim-1 to another location. On multiple occasions, while parked in CARAZAS-PINEZ’s car at various locations, including in or around the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island, New York, CARAZAS-PINEZ engaged in sexual intercourse and other sexual acts, and attempted to do so, with Minor Victim-1.
It was the unidentified minor student who broke of the relationship with Carazas-Pinez, but not after she threatened him to punish him at school if he didn’t continue their sexual activity.
Eventually, the two were seen together outside of the school, and others had witnessed the inappropriate behavior inside the school. Carazas-Pinez was terminated in March.
CARAZAS-PINEZ, 34, of Bethel, Connecticut, is charged with one count of enticing a minor victim to engage in illegal sexual activity, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Any individuals who believe they have information that may be relevant to this investigation should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
