A married teacher accused of sexually abusing a pupil dozens of times over two years is a victim of ‘sexist scrutiny’, her family have said.
Christina Formella, 30, denies grooming the boy, who was 14 and a member of the football team she coached at Downers Grove South High School in Illinois when she allegedly began sending him flirty messages.
Prosecutors say the relationship turned physical when he was 15 and she was 28, and claim to have evidence they had sex 50 times – mostly in her classroom but also in the home she shared with her husband.
After her arrest Formella told detectives the boy was obsessed with her because she is ‘good looking’, claiming ‘everybody comes after her’ as a result.
On Thursday, a representative for her family said she is not a predator, insisting: ‘It’s a spectacle — a public ritual that punishes women not for what they’ve done, but for how they’re perceived.’
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
In a statement shared with the New York Post, the rep added: ‘When men face accusations, we discuss evidence and procedure.
‘When women face accusations, we attack their character, their choices, and their worth as human beings.
‘This isn’t justice — it’s gender-based persecution disguised as accountability.
‘Instead of discussing facts or law, public discourse fixates on Christina’s appearance, her private life, even her lipstick — as if those details bear on guilt or innocence.
‘Christina has been splintered into internet caricatures — “predator,” “unfaithful wife,” “hypocrite,”.’
Court documents allegedly detail a string of sordid messages from Formella to the boy, at one point telling him: ‘I love having sex with you.’
‘I love you sooooo much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect,’ another said.
The boy’s mother signed into her son’s iCloud account after buying him a new phone and allegedly saw some of the text messages between him and Formella.
Prosecutors also say the teacher wrote about her student in her Notes app but initially told cops that they were an ‘outlet for her anxiety’ and that sexual references were about her husband.
Formella claims the boy broke into her phone and sent the inappropriate messages to himself in order to later blackmail her.
She faces 55 charges including criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming.
She and her husband Michael tied the knot last year, a few weeks before her alleged relationship with the teenager ended.
Michael has said he was ‘completely blindsided’ by the allegations and has remained by his wife’s side at court hearings.
The school has placed Formella on administrative leave and is cooperating with an investigation into the matter.
‘We are devastated, and our community is reeling,’ stated Downers Grove South Principal Arwen Lyp.
‘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.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
