Husband stands by Chicago teacher accused of having sex with student more than 50 times
Christina Formella, a 30-year-old teacher at Downers Grove South High School, is facing 55 counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming.
While Judge Mia McPherson denied an earlier request from the prosecution to hold Formella in custody while she awaits trial, a number of conditions were set for the former educator.
One of the conditions requires Formella, a special education teacher and soccer coach, to wear a GPS tracker and live at least 5,000 feet (1,524 metres) away from the alleged victim's home, school and workplace.
Formella's lawyer Todd Pugh asked the judge on Wednesday for the buffer be reduced from 5,000 feet to 2,500 feet, but the request was denied.
Formella has been living with her parents since mid-June as the couple's marital home is within the exclusion zone mandated by the court.
After the judge denied the request, Pugh said outside the courtroom that Formella has 'a great family, plenty of support,' reports the Chicago Tribune.
Meanwhile, a person who sat behind the couple inside the courtroom on Wednesday revealed that they were smiling during the proceedings.
'Michael was holding her hand the entire time,' the source told the New York Post.
'They were smiling at each other, literally smiling at each other the entire time until she got up. They look really confident.'
Formella was arrested and charged in mid-March after the alleged victim and his family went to the Downers Grove Police Department to report claims of inappropriate sexual contact.
Following an investigation, the 15-year-old victim revealed further allegations of sexual abuse that dated back to January 2023 and continued through August/September 2024.
'It is alleged that during this time, Formella sent the victim multiple text messages that were grooming in nature and that she and the victim had engaged in sexual acts approximately 50 times, both at the school and at Formella's home, including at least 45 times at the school,' the DuPage County State's Attorney Office said in a statement on June 17 in which 52 additional charges were announced.
DuPage County state attorney Robert Berlin called the new allegations 'beyond disturbing.'
'I thank the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward during what I image is an extremely difficult time for him,' Berlin said.
Teacher's careless whispers about sex romps with teen brings charges
Teacher accused of having sex with boy, 14, hit with 52 more charges
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
18 minutes ago
- CBS News
Audi driver sought in hit-and-run crash that left pedestrian injured in Englewood neighborhood
Chicago police are searching for the driver in a hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian hurt Saturday afternoon in the Englewood neighborhood. Police said the 56-year-old pedestrian was hit around 2:47 p.m. in the 6300 block of South Halsted Street by a gray 2014 Audi Q5 four-door sedan with Illinois Plate EP16347 traveling northbound on Halsted Street. The driver did not stop and fled the scene of the crash. Police said the Audi may have front-end damage and a newly replaced windshield. Anyone with information is asked to contact Major Accidents at 312-745-4521 or submit an anonymous tip at using the reference number JJ322010.
CBS News
32 minutes ago
- CBS News
Fight in Beaver Falls leads to shooting on 4th of July, man shot multiple times
Two people are now in the hospital after a fight led to a shooting in the City of Beaver Falls. According to information provided to KDKA-TV, just after 10 p.m. on the 4th of July, police were called to the 300 block of 12th Street for a reported shooting. Once they arrived, they learned that a 47-year-old man had been shot in the leg multiple times and taken to the hospital via a personal vehicle. He ultimately had to be flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment. At the time of publishing, he is in stable condition. An investigation by police learned that the shooting happened after a person threw fireworks into the area where a group of children were playing. That led to a confrontation between the 47-year-old victim and the suspect, 20-year-old Jaden Stull. Stull started to run away from the victim, but then turned and pointed a gun at him, leading to the victim tackling Stull. Stull fired the gun four times, which hit the victim in the thigh and shin area. During the fight, Stull also shot himself in the hand. Both Stull and the victim are in stable condition, according to police. Stull is now facing charges of aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, firearms violations, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. A warrant has been issued for Stull's arrest.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How the Sean Combs Verdict May Have ‘Chilling Effect' on Cases for Abuse Victims
Follow all of our Sean Combs trial coverage When a jury of eight men and four women cleared Sean Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges on Wednesday – the most severe charges leveled against him by federal prosecutors – reaction was decidedly mixed. More from Rolling Stone Sean Combs Alternate Juror Speaks Out Beating RICO Charges Doesn't Make Diddy a Hero Charlize Theron on Why She Won't Reveal Name of Director She Alleges Sexually Harassed Her Combs' supporters cheered the news as a total vindication. While he was convicted of two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and conceded during the trial that was physically violent in his personal relationships, he was acquitted on the top counts and avoided the worst-case scenario of a possible life sentence. The national women's advocacy group UltraViolet called the verdict a 'stain on the criminal justice system,' and 'an indictment of a culture in which not believing women and victims of sexual assault remains endemic.' Legal experts say the verdict was also a big loss for the team of prosecutors who tried the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York. Yes, the prosecutors managed to convict Combs of two counts under the Mann Act – securing some sort of prison sentence for the rich and powerful defendant. But that was the 'low-hanging fruit' in the government's sprawling case, Alyse Adamson, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, tells Rolling Stone. 'This is a huge, huge blow,' Adamson says, referring to prosecutors and the complicated case they put on with 34 witnesses over nearly two months of trial. 'This is a huge win for Combs.' For other prosecutors, this could make them think twice about using RICO in a 'novel' way, she says. 'Obviously, they were using the RICO to try to bring charges against Combs that they otherwise couldn't bring because the statute of limitations had already run,' she explains. 'The problem,' according to Adamson, is that the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act enacted in 1970 is understood as something used to go after mob bosses, and 'this Combs 'enterprise' wasn't really a clearly defined and structured organization' that you see in a typical RICO case. 'I think they had evidence that somebody had been doing bad things for a long time, and the prosecutors wanted to bring a righteous prosecution to try to catch him, and I think they just were a little over their skis,' Adamson says. Brad Bailey, another former federal prosecutor who now works as a defense attorney in Boston, says the verdict 'certainly suggests an overreach on the part of the Southern District.' 'They've expended a great deal of resources. Six prosecutors on the case is an inordinately high number to commit to any one case. They also have committed a great deal of law enforcement resources in terms of the investigating agents. There was a big splash with the high-profile searches with guns drawn at his residences … so this is an embarrassment in terms of what could have been an overreach,' Bailey says. 'On the other hand, you never know what type of factor notoriety and fame place on these cases, and that's always the wild card – the unknown X factor.' Bailey noted that the jury signaled more than once to the judge that they were having trouble reaching consensus with the clock ticking. When they were selected, the judge told them he expected they would be finished with the trial by the Fourth of July holiday this week. 'My guess is that this is a jury that was tired and wanted to go home and there was contentiousness in there,' Bailey says, 'and they just decided that this was the proper reflection of the evidence as presented.' 'I'm as pro-prosecution as they come. But you have to respect the jury verdict. The jurors rejected these allegations. This was a failed prosecution,' Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor now working as a victims' rights attorney in Los Angeles, tells Rolling Stone. Rahmani says the outcome of Combs' very high-profile trial will likely have a chilling effect on the willingness of other victims and prosecutors to move forward with other cases. 'There's no question,' he says. 'Imagine going and testifying before 12 strangers and telling them that you were urinated on in your mouth … that you were forced to have sex on your period or while you had UTIs, and the jurors don't believe you? You're talking about the most graphic, explicit, personal details of your sex life, and they think you're a liar. 'I've had maybe over 100 conversations in my office when I'm talking to a victim, and I explained what a civil or criminal trial entails and that you're going to have to testify publicly and you're going to be cross-examined and you have to tell your story and relive your trauma in a very public way,' he adds. 'Eight out of 10 say they can't do it. After this, it's probably going to be nine out of 10.' Adamson agrees. 'It is already extremely difficult to have victims testify. That is a traumatizing experience, no matter the outcome,' she says. 'So this is definitely not going to make it any easier to convince witnesses and victims to come forward, for sure.' Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, released a statement after the Combs verdict was delivered, saying he wanted to 'recognize the important work' of the SDNY's work seeking to combat human trafficking. He did not mention Combs by name. 'Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice,' Clayton said. 'Prosecuting sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these cases.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
