A New Jersey teacher sentenced for assaulting two students and causing lasting psychological harm receives 10 years in prison
Julie Rizzitello, a 37-year-old married English teacher in Wall Township, New Jersey, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually assaulting two of her students and becoming pregnant by one of them.
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Monmouth County Judge Jill Grace described Rizzitello’s actions as grooming and predator behaviour, noting the lasting psychological impact on the victims.
The former teacher pleaded guilty last year to two counts of second-degree sexual assault following months of abuse that spanned three cities.
Rizzitello met her first victim while he was a freshman at Wall Township High School and reportedly engaged in multiple sexual acts between 2017 and 2018.
On one occasion, she allegedly encouraged the teen to have unprotected sex with her on his birthday, later revealing that she had undergone an abortion.
The second victim was similarly abused at her home, in her car, and at her workplace, according to court documents.
Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said the incidents were “textbook cases of grooming, involving manipulation and control for selfish purposes,” emphasising the emotional and psychological harm inflicted on students entrusted to her care.
During sentencing, the victims’ experiences were detailed, with one writing that “no kid should have the feeling of sickening anxiety and panic attacks while just trying to get through school.”
The student later dropped out of college following the ordeal.
Rizzitello resigned from her teaching position in 2024, shortly before her arrest, and reportedly tried to contact her victims to erase evidence from their phones.
She will serve two ten-year sentences concurrently, be subject to lifetime parole, and must register as a sex offender.
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Judge Grace stated, “The defendant preyed on her students in a safe space, isolating them and exploiting their vulnerability. This is traditional grooming, the behaviour of a standard sexual predator.”
