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Who is Christina Formella? Illinois special education teacher, 30, arrested for allegedly molesting 15-year-old student
Christina Formella, a married Illinois teacher, has been arrested after being accused of molesting a 15-year-old student during a tutoring session.
A married Illinois special education teacher has been arrested after being accused of molesting a 15-year-old student during a tutoring session. 30-year-old Christina Formella was busted in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove on Sunday, March 16. Her arrest came after a student told police he was molested in a Downers Grove South High School classroom in December 2023, according to the New York Post.
According to DuPage County prosecutors, the victim was coached by Formella, who was his tutor. The alleged sexual assault took place before the school day started. At the time of the incident, Formella was 28.
“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.”
Who is Christina Formella?
Formella also coached soccer at Downers Grove South High School. She reportedly married her college sweetheart in August 2024. Her husband played baseball for their alma mater, Concordia University Chicago.
The alleged assault came to light after the victim’s mother found evidence in his new phone. The mother recently bought her son a phone, and while linking it to his iCloud account, she found text messages between him and Formella, according to a DuPage County detention petition obtained by the Daily Herald. The messages not only discussed sexual contact, but also a relationship.
The mother then confronted the boy, and the two of them visited Downers Grove Police Department to report the allegations. Formella was apprehended by cops during a traffic stop, and subsequently arrested.
Although Formella denied the allegations, prosecutors said they found
more evidence suggesting that there was sexual contact between her and the boy. It was the boy who reportedly ended their relationship.
Formella has been charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual assault. She was booked, and released on the condition that she have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, and that she not enter Downers Grove South High School, where she had been teaching since 2020. She received a teacher’s license in 2017, and volunteered as a soccer coach for both boys and girls starting in 2021.
Formella has now been placed on paid administrative leave from the school. “We are devastated, and our community is reeling,” school principal Arwen Lyp reportedly wrote in a message to parents on Monday, March 17. “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.”
