All about Christina Formella, the Illinois special education teacher arrested for allegedly molesting 15-year-old student

An Illinois special education teacher and soccer coach has been arrested after being accused of molesting a 15-year-old student during a tutoring session. 30-year-old Christina Formella was arrested in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove on March 16.
According to the New York Post, Formella’s arrest came after a student told police he was molested in a Downers Grove South High School classroom in December 2023.

What happened?

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.
DuPage County Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement, “The allegations against Ms. Formella are extremely disturbing. 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.”

The string of texts:

Formella, allegedly told the victim “I love having sex with you” and other lurid lines in 2023 text messages found on the boy’s phone, court documents obtained by WGN9 show.
As per police, it’s proof she sexually assaulted the boy.
“I love you so so much mama,” the boy sent Formella in one text.
“I love you sooooo much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect,” the teacher, then 28, allegedly responded.
“I know baby it was perfect baby so perfect,” the boy replied, before Formella opined about how much she loved having sex with him.
“I know baby I love it so much … It feels so good … It’s so passionate … It’s so intimate … It’s so perfect,” the boy said.
Police treated those messages as evidence that Formella was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with her student and was molesting him over two years ago — a protracted assault that allegedly began during a classroom tutoring session in December 2023 and continued until the boy eventually ended it.

Who is Christina Formella?

Formella 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.
Formella began teaching at Downers Grove High in 2020 after earning her teaching license in 2017. She has since been placed on paid leave from her job.

What is Formella’s account?

After Formella was arrested on Sunday- the court documents showed – the police allegedly found writings in her phone’s “Notes” app that further suggested a sexual relationship with her underage student.
However, Formella claimed the material in that app was just an “outlet for her anxiety,” and that any sexual material was only about her husband.

Denying the allegations, Formella claimed that people targeted her because she was “good-looking” and “a good person who cared too much about [the victim],” according to court documents obtained by WGN9. Formella also alleged that the teen had accessed her phone and sent incriminating messages to himself as part of a blackmail scheme.
As per court documents, “She claimed that one day, [the boy] had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode … had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail.”