12 accused ‘perv’ teachers, coaches busted in NJ just this year October has been an active month for law enforcement officials filing charges against teachers and instructors accused of predatory behavior. Over the past three weeks, five New Jersey educators have been arrested in separate cases for various offenses — ranging from a dean at a private school in Newark accused of luring, to a music teacher in West Windsor accused of sharing child pornography. An Atlantic County teacher also has been charged with criminal sexual contact, stemming from an "inappropriate relationship" with a former student. In 2019, New Jersey joined states with a law that criminalizes sexual conduct between teachers, ... James Falletti: In March, the 43-year-old Hackensack resident was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Falletti was a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) teacher at a private middle school in Hasbrouck Heights when authorities were made aware of allegations that he had sexually assaulted a child younger than 16. Falletti had been working at Corpus Christi School but has not been active as a teacher since the investigation began in August 2021, according to the Archdiocese of Newark. Joseph Scalfaro: In October, an Atlantic City High School teacher was accused of having an "inappropriate relationship" with a former student both on an off school grounds. The 47-year-old from Absecon has taught history as well as coached tennis, according to his social media accounts. Scalfaro was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, and second-degree official misconduct, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Thomas Bianco III: In February, a 20-year-old youth baseball coach and landscaper in Camden County was accused of sexual offenses against at least five children. Bianco was initially charged with second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, stemming from one 12-year-old victim's report of alleged incidents in Bianco’s vehicle, Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said. Then, four more 13-year-old victims reported their own encounters with Bianco in his car and additional charges were filed. He had been a coach for Cherry Hill National Athletic League, which was fully cooperating with the investigation. Anthony Linder-Creo: Linder-Creo was fired as a teacher and assistant coach in Mercer County in September a day before he was charged with sexual assault stemming from sex with a 17-year-old student. The 24-year-old Robbinsville resident was a business teacher at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township. The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said the student said the sexual encounters happened at Linder-Creo's home in August. He was charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Michael Wagner: The science teacher at a private school in Sussex County has been accused of taking hundreds of “upskirt” videos and photos of female students, as well as having a stash of child pornography. Wagner, 39, of Hopatcong, was arrested in October, nearly a week after Sparta police found the footage after being called to Pope John XXIII Regional High School. He was immediately suspended as a teacher. Wagner was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material and third-degree invasion of privacy. Bipradas Mookerjee: In January, Elizabeth police and the Union County Prosecutor's Office announced that the 72-year-old Mookerjee, of North Brunswick, had been charged with third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors said the alleged incidents had involved a 14-year-old girl, and happened between October 2021 and that month, while Mookerjee worked as a math teacher at Frank J. Cicarell Academy. Didier Jean-Baptiste: Jean-Baptiste, a 54-year-old private high school dean, was arrested in October after trying to meet with someone he thought was a teenager for sex, officials said. Jean-Baptiste was fired as dean of seniors at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark after Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced the charges . The crimes did not involve any students. The Jersey City resident was taken into custody, as caught by News 12 cameras, and charged with second-degree attempted luring and third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child. Alec Donovan: A former champion Ocean County high school wrestler turned coach and referee has faced a federal charge of receipt and distribution of child pornography. Donovan, of Brick, shared three videos of sexual acts involving pre-pubescent children via a messaging app, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig in August 2021. Donovan, who was 24 at the time, also used the app to have conversations with minors to ask for nude photos and send nude photos between January and March of that year, Honig said. He was a coach with the Shore Thing Wrestling Club. Jose Sanchez: Sanchez, who taught music lessons to children at a private studio in West Windsor, has been charged with third-degree possession of child pornography and second-degree file-sharing of the material. Detectives received a tip in September from authorities in Middlesex County that someone in Mercer had been uploading child porn. Mercer County prosecutors executed a search warrant at the studio space in October and the 58-year-old Monroe Township resident was arrested. Peter Thompson: In October, Thompson, a former television sports anchor-turned-teacher at the Atlantic County Institute of Technology was charged with having inappropriate sexual contact with several students. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office investigated “multiple complaints” from students at the school in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton, regarding inappropriate sexual behavior by the 51-year-old. Thompson was arrested at his Galloway home and was charged with multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child, criminal sexual contact and official misconduct. He no longer works at the school, prosecutors confirmed. Christopher P. Marbaix: A 60-year-old man who co-founded a Summit robotics lab for children has been accused of molesting six children while he instructed them, years earlier. Marbaix was initially arrested in November 2020, at which point he had already been removed from his position at Robot Revolution, according to the program's remaining coordinators. A Union County grand jury returned a 14-count indictment against him in January — five counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, six counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact with a child. ... Edward Del Russo: Del Russo, a social studies teacher at Northern Burlington County Regional High School, was accused of sharing his foot fetish with a teen girl and threatening to kill himself if she told anyone. The 43-year-old man was charged in June with third-degree child endangerment and fourth-degree cyber-harassment through lewd, indecent or obscene material and fourth-degree abuse by debauching the morals of a child. And another 20 older cases with photos and comments, read the article ... NJ teachers and educators caught in sex crime busts: Over the past few years, state lawmakers have taken on the challenge of dealing with accused child predators among the ranks of teachers and educators. In 2018, the so-called “pass the trash” law went into effect, requiring stricter New Jersey school background checks related to child abuse and sexual misconduct. The follow individuals were arrested over the past several years. Some have been convicted and sentenced to prison, while others have accepted plea deals for probation. Others cases are still pending, including some court delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelina Aichele Luis Aviles Gustavo Barrientos Phillip Cerone Brantley Cesanek Eugene Colbert Rayna Culver John Denuto Jessica R. Gaeckle Thomas Guzzi Jr. Chelsea Hahn David Holmes Paul Iantosca Samantha Krakower Ronald Kraus Lauren Mitchell Francisco Realpe Bridget Sipera Apparao Sunkara Ricardo Valle Continue reading... https://nj1015.com/nj-teachers-coaches-arrested-past-year-sex-crimes/ Find in Internet Archives [google]12 accused ‘perv’ teachers, coaches busted in NJ just this year[/google]
