A former high school teacher at Downers Grove South High School has been slapped with fifty-two additional charges, as announced on Tuesday by the DuPage County State's Attorney. Christina Formella, initially charged for a sexual relationship with a student, is now facing new counts of sexual abuse and assault involving a minor. According to the official report, Formella's indictment was handed down by a grand jury on May 20, 2025.
In a statement reported by the DuPage County State’s Attorney's office, Formella, aged 30, now faces charges including twenty counts of Criminal Sexual Assault, twenty counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, and counts of Indecent Solicitation of a Child and Grooming. Previously, on March 17, 2025, the teacher had appeared in court and was released under several conditions, including having no contact with minors.
The case against Formella unfolded after the victim, who was fifteen at the time of the alleged offenses, and his parents reported the inappropriate contact to the police on March 15, 2025. The DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center and the Downers Grove Police Department carried out the investigation that led to the initial and subsequent charges. "The new allegations against Ms. Formella, including the allegations of grooming and that the abuse lasted nearly two years, are beyond disturbing," State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement obtained by the DuPage County State's Attorney's office.
Formella's updated accusations trace back to January 2023, alleging that sexual abuse continued through to August or September 2024. It's alleged that she sent multiple texts of a grooming nature to the victim, and the two had engaged in sexual acts around fifty times, remarkably forty-five times at the school premises. The victim disclosed additional incidents of sexual abuse during interviews on Tuesday at the DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center, catalyzing the new charges.
