Teacher Who Sexually Abused Teen with Special Needs Is Sentenced After Sending Disturbing Text

A former high school teacher in New York has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing a 16-year-old student with special needs, prosecutors said.

Sandy Carazas-Pinez, 36, was given the sentence after pleading guilty to enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a news release on Friday, Sept. 19.

Prosecutors said Carazas “abused” her position as a teacher at a school for kindergarten through twelfth grade students in Yonkers, N.Y., by coercing a 16-year-old student into believing the two were in a “sexual relationship” between November 2022 and February 2023.

According to the indictment obtained by PEOPLE, Carazas, of Bethel, Conn., exchanged text messages with the student with special needs that were “sexual in nature,” including sexually explicit photos of herself that she told the child to delete.

“I know for me it isn’t going to be easy, I will miss your kisses, hugs and everything,” read one of the texts sent by Carazas, the New York Post reported, citing prosecutors.

Carazas used her personal cell phone to talk with the student to arrange sexual encounters and watch sexually explicit livestreams while on video calls with the victim. Authorities said she referred to the sexual encounters and livestreams as “gifts,” the indictment states.

Per the indictment, Carazas “inappropriately touched” the student on multiple occasions while working at the school and induced the victim to touch her genital area over her clothes. The abuse escalated when the teacher asked the student to meet with her off school premises to “engage in sexual activity.”

To do so, authorities said Carazas texted the victim to get day passes to leave school and she would then meet the student at a nearby location, per the indictment.

“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,” the indictment states.

Per the indictment, the victim repeatedly expressed they wanted to “end the relationship” but Carazas threatened to remove school privileges if they refused.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.  

The abuse continued until February 2023 when school officials learned that Carazas was seen off-campus with the student in her car and having “close contact” with the victim in her classroom, the indictment states. She was subsequently fired.

The next month, Carazas told the victim over the phone that she had been terminated and asked them if they were ever seen having a sexual encounter in her car, authorities said. She also texted the victim from a new phone number and asked them to delete their messages, per the indictment.

Carazas was indicted on criminal charges in July 2023, records show. In addition to her prison sentence, Carazas was sentenced to five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender, per court documents.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.