The Illinois special education teacher accused of molesting her 15-year-old student claims she was set up to be blackmailed by the alleged victim and was targeted because she was “good looking.”
Christina Formella, 30, denied ever assaulting the teen while tutoring him inside a classroom at Downers Grove South High School in December 2023 following her arrest Sunday — after the boy’s mother uncovered the alleged assault through text messages on his phone.
The married teacher allegedly told investigators that the student had broken into her phone and used her number to send himself inappropriate text messages to “blackmail” her.
“She claimed that one day, [the boy], had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode… had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail,” court documents viewed by Daily Mail alleged.
Formella, who also coached soccer at the school, told police that her looks and caring “too much” made her a target.
“[Formella said] everybody comes after her because she is good looking and she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy],” according to the court documents.
She was 28 at the time of the alleged incident.
The victim’s mother discovered the messages on Friday after she bought him a new phone and linked it to his iCloud account, DuPage County prosecutors said.
She allegedly came across text messages between her son and Formella that discussed sexual contact — and even a relationship, which the boy reportedly ended.
After confronting her son, they both went to the Downers Grove Police Department that day to report their allegations, and investigators said they discovered additional evidence indicating sexual contact between the two.
Formella — who had been working as a special education teacher at the school since 2020 — was arrested by Downers Grove detectives during a traffic stop on Sunday.
She denied the allegations and told police that she never had sex with the student.
Formella was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual assault.
“The allegations against Ms. Formella are extremely disturbing,” DuPage County Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
“It is alleged that she used her position of trust and authority as a tutor and a coach to sexually assault a minor student. The type of abuse and behavior alleged in this case will not be tolerated.”
Prosecutors motioned to keep her detained following her arrest, but a judge denied the request.
However, she was released on the condition that she have no contact with anyone under 18 and will not enter Downers Grove South High School.
Formella’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 14.
She has since been placed on paid administrative leave from the school.
Principal Arwen Lyp wrote a message to parents Monday, saying the school is “devastated” over the allegations.
“We are devastated, and our community is reeling,” Lyp wrote.
“An adult has been charged with the most serious of violations, and trust has been broken. Our team is here to support students who are impacted by this terrible news.”
Formella — who married her college sweetheart in August — has been a licensed teacher since 2017.
She also volunteered as the high school’s soccer coach for both boys and girls beginning in 2021.
