NY teacher charged with sex abuse of mentally ill student jailed: ‘Danger to the community’

Sandy Carazas-Pinez violated strict bail conditions and poses "a real danger to the community."

A federal judge has incarcerated a teacher accused of sexually abusing a mentally ill student, stating that she breached strict bail conditions and is "a real danger to the community."

Sandy Carazas-Pinez, 34, a former NYC public school teacher, faces charges of engaging in multiple sexual acts with a 16-year-old boy, one of her students at a city-funded Yonkers school for special needs kids, and producing child pornography. This case is one of the most disturbing instances of sexual abuse by a New York educator in recent memory.

Brooklyn federal judge John Cronan revoked Carazas-Pinez's bail after discovering repeated breaches of her home confinement conditions. She was arrested in July and released on bail, with strict instructions not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18.

However, she later emailed a former student on his 18th birthday, which, though not technically a violation, raised concerns about her behavior, as it fit a pattern of grooming cited by prosecutors. Even her lawyer called it "troubling."

Her own lawyer called Carazas-Pinez’ contact with a former student “troubling.”

Describing her as "a real danger to the community," the judge cautioned Carazas-Pinez to follow the rules or face imprisonment.

Recent violations reported by pre-trial supervisors included unauthorized trips to a mall and a restaurant, despite strict limitations on her outings. She had obtained permission to pick up a paycheck but instead visited a restaurant and bar on Staten Island, then went to a wooded area, as tracked by GPS.

She admitted to using the check-cashing request "as a pretense" after a disagreement at her parents' home, where she stayed after being kicked out by her husband. The judge concluded that she had lied.

The married mother of three later emailed another former student a day after he turned 18 to wish him happy birthday.

Carazas-Pinez was incarcerated at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on April 15.

The victim's mother, whose identity is protected, expressed relief, saying, "She’s a very disturbed individual, and I’m glad she no longer has access to children — especially mine."

Carazas-Pinez had taught at the Biondi School, attended by the mentally disabled 16-year-old, funded by the city DOE. The school is operated by the nonprofit Rising Ground, which fired her in March 2023 upon witnessing her with the student in her car. She had previously taught at PS/MS 007 in Harlem and PS/IS 218 in The Bronx.