A TEACHER accused of raping her 15-year-old student 50 times has moaned she is being targeted because of her good looks.
Christina Formella, 30, claimed she is the victim of misogynistic “sexist scrutiny” and complained about being depicted as a “predator”.
A family spokesperson told the New York Post: “It’s a spectacle — a public ritual that punishes women not for what they’ve done, but for how they’re perceived.”
They added: “When men face accusations, we discuss evidence and procedure.
“When women face accusations, we attack their character, their choices, and their worth as human beings.
“This isn’t justice — it’s gender-based persecution disguised as accountability.”
Formella, residing in Illinois, faced arrest after a student and his mother reported to the authorities that she had sexually assaulted him during a classroom session in December 2023.
Following an extensive investigation, she faces accusations of grooming him at the age of 14 and engaging in sexual activities with him approximately 50 times after he turned 15, while she was 28.
The majority of the abuse is said to have taken place at Downers Grove South High School, where Formella taught the teen.
Prosecutors say the boy’s mom discovered texts on his phone which revealed the alleged abuse and prompted her to contact the police.
The teacher allegedly told the boy: “I love having sex with you.”
Formella has denied all the charges and insisted from the start that her appearance draws unfair treatment.
During her initial police interview, she pleaded her innocence and claimed she is a “good person” but said “everybody” targets her because of her good looks, according to documents obtained by WGN9.
She also claimed to be the victim of a “blackmail” plot, according to court docs.
The document reads: “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.”
Her support base complained that media and content creators are fixating on specific details and making assumptions about her character.
The statement said: “Instead of discussing facts or law, public discourse fixates on Christina’s appearance, her private life, even her lipstick — as if those details bear on guilt or innocence.
“Christina has been splintered into internet caricatures — ‘predator,’ ‘unfaithful wife,’ ‘hypocrite’.”
They also claimed Formella had been “stalked” by people obsessed with the case, and said she has even been followed into church.
“Christina’s case isn’t being ‘covered’ – she’s being hunted,” the family said.
Police footage shows the educator being pulled over and cuffed by cops in front of her husband.
She was originally charged during her first court appearance with two counts of sexual abuse and one count of sexual assault.
But last month, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin levelled a further 52 counts at the teacher for a load more alleged sexual encounters with the same student.
She was indicted on another 20 counts of sexual assault, 20 of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, six counts of indecent solicitation of a child and six counts of grooming.
An investigation following the initial report found that Formella allegedly had sex with the boy around 50 times between January 2023 and August of 2024, the court heard.
During that time period, Berlin’s office said, Formella allegedly sent the boy multiple text messages that were “grooming in nature.”
At least 45 of those occasions are believed the have taken place on the school grounds – and some in the marital home Formella shared with her husband.
The abuse is said to have begun in 2023 and run throughout the engagement – only coming to an end when the student called it off in September 2024.
Her husband, Michael Formella, has stuck by his wife’s side and attended court with her.
