A teacher was arrested on a charge of rape after allegedly raping a boy in her classroom, and then claiming to be a victim of an extortion plot, according to police in New York.
Albany police said that they have arrested 30-year-old Marina Viviani, after being accused of having an ongoing sexual relationship with a 17-year-old at risk boy.
The New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs announced that the former teacher at the LaSalle School, has been charged with six counts including rape and criminal sexual act.
The charges stem from incidents in which the defendant allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with her student in a LaSalle classroom shortly before the student’s discharge from a residential program.
The sexual abuse allegations came to light after the married defendant allegedly continued a relationship with the student, which included phone calls, text messages, the exchange of digital photos and travel to New York City.
A family member notified the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, and they reported the incident to the Justice Center’s Vulnerable Persons’ Central Register.
“When a licensed professional, like the defendant who in this case was a teacher, allegedly abuses her position of authority by committing sex crimes in the classroom against an at-risk youth, that abuse cannot be tolerated,” said Special Prosecutor Patricia E. Gunning.
The defendant was arraigned in Albany County Court before the Honorable Thomas A. Breslin, and was released under the supervision of the Albany County Department of Probation without bail.
Viviani denied the allegations, which she called the “product of an extortion scheme perpetrated by the complainant and his accomplice.
She claimed that the boy wanted she should buy him expenses gifts because her husband was wealthy.