
Downers Grove teacher faces additional charges related to sex abuse case
Christina Formella, 30, now faces a total of 55 counts, including multiple counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming, which were revealed in DuPage County Circuit Court on Tuesday.
Formella initially was charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse after she was arrested by the Downers Grove Police Department in March.
Formella was arraigned Tuesday on the 52 additional counts and entered a plea of not guilty.
Prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew asked that Formella be detained under the SAFE-T Act now that additional charges have been brought against her, but that request was denied.
McAndrew unsuccessfully argued that Formella posed a risk to not only the student she abused but other students, noting she lives in close proximity to the high school.
According to prosecutors, Formella groomed the boy when he was 14 years old, lured him into a false sense of security, suggested they had a sexual relationship and physically, emotionally, mentally and psychologically abused the child.
McAndrew told the court that Formella had sex with the boy at least 45 times, including at school, during school hours and at her home. The pattern of abuse lasted almost two years, she said.
'(Formella) knew what she was doing was wrong,' McAndrew said.
Formella also convinced the boy to turn off his location on his cellphone and made the boy feel guilty or shamed, McAndrew said.
'(Formella) is unbelievably conniving and unbelievably controlling,' McAndrew said.
McAndrew said when Formella was initially granted pre-trial release in March, it was believed that it was an isolated incident. However, investigators have since discovered 'hundreds if not thousands of text messages' that corroborate the boy's side of the story, she said.
McAndrew argued before the court that no conditions could mitigate the threat that Formella poses for the community or the victim.
Formella was released after her first pre-trial detention hearing in March and ordered not to have any contact with the victim or children.
Her attorney, Richard Kayne, argued that Formella has complied with the conditions placed upon her in March and there are no threats to anyone in the community. He said that Formella was indicted on the additional charges May 20, but they weren't unsealed until Tuesday. If Formella were a threat, then prosecutors should have made their case sooner, he said.
On Tuesday, Judge Mia McPherson called the case 'horrifying in nature,' 'shocking' and 'appalling,' but she agreed that the community at large is not threatened by Formella. She said she is concerned about the boy that Formella is accused of abusing and believed there could be additional conditions placed on Formella to ensure she has no other contact with the child.
As part of the judge's orders, Formella is required to have electronic monitoring software placed on her cellphones, tablets and computers and her emails and electronic communications monitored to ensure she has no contact with the boy.
Formella was also ordered to wear a GPS monitor to ensure she did not go to the victim's home, school or work, McPherson said.
Formella cannot leave Illinois without court permission and must surrender her passport. She is not allowed entry to Downers Grove South High School and may not have any contact with minors.
Formella faces 60 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.
The boy and his mother went to the Downers Grove Police Department in March to report the inappropriate sexual conduct after the boy's mom discovered text messages on his cellphone.

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New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Husband of alleged perv teacher Christina Formella defiantly holds her hand for court, refuses to answer questions after wife accused of dozens of heinous sex crimes
WHEATON, Ill. — Alleged dirty teacher Christina Formella's husband defiantly held her hand as she swished into into court with him Wednesday morning — even after she was accused last month of sexually abused a teenage student more than 50 times. Neither Formella or her husband, Michael, answered any questions as they walked into the DuPage County Circuit Court in suburban Chicago. Michael Formella has accompanied his 30-year-old bride to court for each of her appearances so far. Christina Formella was given an ankle monitor last month when the charges against her were upgraded — but cleverly hid it with baggy black pants. Advertisement 4 Husband of accused dirty teacher Christina Formella holds her hand as they walk into court. LP Media 4 Teacher Christina Formella is accused of dozens of heinous sex crimes. CUCWSOC/X 4 Christina Formella faces dozens of charges. DuPage County State's Attorney's Office Last month, Formella was hit with 52 additional charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault. The former Downers Grove special education teacher was arrested in March and is accused of raping her teenage student at least 50 times — including at least 45 times at the school. Advertisement She and her husband are college sweethearts and married just last year, about six months after the alleged abuse. 4 Teacher Christina Formella is arrested in front of her home. DuPage County Sheriff Prosecutors say Formella told the boy that she would leave her husband and take him for millions. Michael Formella is the scion of a Chicagoland Italian good purveyor.


New York Post
21-06-2025
- New York Post
Accused pervert teacher Christina Formella makes high school yearbook despite charges for raping teen
Accused pervert teacher Christina Formella may not work at Downers Grove South High School in suburban Chicago anymore, but she can still be seen in its latest yearbook — not once, but three times. Formella, who married her high school sweetheart in August, was arrested in March for raping a teenage student roughly 50 times. She surrendered her 'professional educator license' on June 17, according to documents obtained by The Post from the Illinois State Board of Education. 4 Christina Formella appears twice in the new yearbook. Obtained by the New York Post She's been charged with 55 crimes, including aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sex abuse and grooming. If convicted, Formella, 30, could be sentenced to 60 years. The school's recently released 2024-25 yearbook features Formella's headshot as well as group photos showing her posing with the boys' soccer team and JV girls' soccer teams she coached. 4 Formella also posed with the boys' soccer team. @hiemilynoelle/True Crime w/ Em Formella's husband has stood by her side during court appearances. Prosecutors have alleged Formella started grooming the victim when he was 14. 4 She also appeared with the JV soccer team. Obtained by the New York Post Investigators allege she raped the teen at least 45 times at the school where she was a special education teacher. 4 Formella's husband has been supporting her in court. LP Media She also raped the boy five times at her home during school hours, according to prosecutors. Formella, who denied assaulting the teen and has claimed she was being blackmailed by her accuser, insisted she was being targeted because she was 'good-looking.' The illicit relationship began in January 2023, and the boy ended it in September, prosecutors said. A school spokesperson told The Post the printing of the yearbooks began in March, prior to the arrest. 'Even so, Formella was an employee of the school district, and so is included in the yearbook,' the spokesperson said.


Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
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Paul Vallas: Chicago must reform how it handles expensive police misconduct lawsuits.
The city's finances and ability to fund essential public services are at a crisis point for many reasons. Dangerously overlooked is the bleeding of millions of taxpayer dollars every month on litigation, the continuation of which cannot be sustained. From 2008 to 2024, Chicago paid out over $1.11 billion in police-related legal settlements and verdicts. In 2025 alone, the city has already approved over $145 million in police settlements, exceeding its budget by a significant margin. It has gotten so bad that the most obvious way for the city to manage risk — the purchase of liability insurance — is rapidly becoming unavailable as the city's insurers, once willing to protect the city from catastrophic losses, have run for the hills. These hundreds of millions in payouts are emblematic of a system in which settlements for police-related incidents have become routine and increasingly expensive. During Kim Foxx's tenure as Cook County state's attorney, more law firms began to specialize in representing individuals accused of violent crimes and in suing the Chicago Police Department for alleged civil rights violations. These firms frequently win enormous, taxpayer-funded settlements. Consider the cases of Gabriel Solache and Arturo DeLeon-Reyes, who were wrongfully convicted of the brutal murder of a young couple and kidnapping of their child. Despite a third perpetrator's unwavering testimony against them, Foxx dropped the charges partially because their cases were handled by a former detective, Reynaldo Guevara, who faces allegations that he bullied and beat defendants. The third perpetrator is in prison serving a life sentence. Foxx's office later withdrew opposition to their certificates of innocence, enabling their lawyers to use these certificates as evidence in lawsuits against the police. This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern in which convictions are vacated and substantial settlements follow — even when the facts strongly suggest guilt. The election of Judge Eileen O'Neill Burke as state's attorney marked a new era for criminal justice in Chicago. However, the city still faces a backlog of cases initiated during Foxx's tenure, with over 200 wrongful conviction lawsuits pending. The potential liability from these cases is estimated in the billions of dollars. Compounding the problem, the SAFE-T Act and the CPD consent decree have introduced new mandates and oversight requirements, which are likely to fuel even more litigation. In addition, police pursuits have now become the new gold vein for litigators to mine. These developments, combined with a plaintiff-friendly legal environment in Cook County, mean that the city's exposure to massive settlements is only increasing. Police pursuit lawsuits are now a significant financial threat after wrongful conviction cases. These lawsuits often arise when fleeing suspects crash, causing injuries or deaths, and the city is held liable for the actions of police officers making split-second decisions. Since 2019, Chicago taxpayers have paid more than $120 million to resolve just 31 civil claims arising from police pursuits. Here are five key reforms that can be implemented: Runaway settlements and verdicts for alleged police misconduct are not only undermining public safety and police morale — they also are threatening the city's financial stability and its ability to provide essential services. Chicago's leaders must act decisively to restore balance, protect taxpayer dollars and ensure that compensation for genuine victims does not come at the cost of the city's future. Paul Vallas is an adviser for the Illinois Policy Institute. He ran against Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor in 2023 and was previously budget director for the city and CEO of Chicago Public Schools.