Samantha Ciotta, a 32-year-old teacher and cheerleading coach from Beaumont, California, is accused of having a sexual relationship with an underage student.
The situation came to light when Ciotta was seen in the background of a Snapchat video wearing “only a shirt and panties,” while drinking alcohol with two shirtless minors, police said in court documents obtained by Banning Patch. The 32-year-old Ciotta, of Banning, was “arrested on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and oral copulation with a person under 18,” according to ABC 7. Ciotta has now been criminally charged.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Student Who Posted the Snapchat Video Said He Had Been ‘Getting Threesomes’ at Ciotta’s House, Police Say
Samantha Ciotta.
Patch revealed that it was a Snapchat video that allegedly led to the teacher being caught. Snapchat video allegedly showed “Beaumont High School teacher Samantha Lee Ciotta wearing only ‘a shirt and panties’ while drinking alcohol with two shirtless minors,” reported Patch.
According to Patch, a “high school student who spotted the scandalous Snapchat ‘story’ in August asked the student who posted it if the woman in the video was ‘Mrs. Ciotta.’ The reply: ‘Yes … Bro, I’m gettin’ in deep … been f—— (Ciotta) and getting threesomes for the past couple weeks (at her house).'” The other student in the video allegedly told an adult about it, adding,“If [police] have her phone, then they will find out,” Patch reported. Police are still investigating to determine whether more charges could be filed against Ciotta.
2. She Was the Head Cheerleading Coach Who Also Taught English at the School
Samantha Lee Ciotta Photos: Full Story & Must-See Details t.co/riI2b1i6Fi
Ciotta taught English at Beaumont Unified School District in California, according to The Los Angeles Times. The newspaper reports that she was also the school’s head cheerleading coach. She was taken into custody on September 21, 2017.
Ciotta is from Fullerton and had worked as a teacher since 2017, according to The L.A. Times. Ciotta was scheduled to have a November 3, 2017 court date. Patch reported that authorities were investigating whether there might be other victims, and she had once called herself the “advocate” of the teen in question, positioning herself as a mentor to the boy.
3. Police Say They Found a Note ‘Explaining Her Relationship’ That Ciotta Wrote Her Husband
Samantha Ciotta.
Further evidence was uncovered when police searched Ciotta’s home, according to Patch. They allegedly found a “torn-up, hand-written note that mentioned the juvenile victim by name,” reports Patch, adding that the note “appeared to be written to Samantha Ciotta’s husband, explaining her relationship” with the student.
Patch reports that police “also discovered the alleged victim’s school records in her home office” and her “first known relationship with the alleged victim started nearly two years earlier,” police allege.
4. The Victim Disclosed the ‘Relationship’ to Detectives, Police Say
mugshotSamantha Ciotta.
The student in the case ultimately told police about the relationship, it is alleged. Police alleged in September that “the victim recently disclosed to detectives there has been unlawful sexual intercourse occurring for the past few months by a teacher who works at the Beaumont High School,” People Magazine reported.
“The investigation further revealed there were inappropriate communications between the teacher and student through various messaging platforms,” People added. According to The New York Post, Ciotta allegedly met the boy in English class, and he was “described as a 14-year-old whose mom is dead and whose dad is in prison.”
5. Multiple Female Teachers in the United States Have Been Accused of Sex-Related Allegations
TwitterLoryn Barclay.
Ciotta is but the latest female teacher to be caught up in a sex crime investigation. Among other recent cases: Loryn Barclay, a former substitute teacher at a Missouri High School, was accused of having sexual contact multiple times with a 17-year-old boy. Shawnetta Reece, a gym teacher from Georgia, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old boy.
Tracy Miller, a West Virginia teacher, was accused of sending nude photos to students. Nataly Lopez, a 27-year-old former substitute teacher at a middle school in New Jersey, was accused of having sexual contact with a student. Lindsey Jarvis, a 27-year-old middle school teacher’s aide, was accused of the rape and sodomy of a student who was under the age of 16. Jarvis was arrested in Fayette County, Kentucky, on June 16. Then there’s Laura Ramos. She is a 31-year-old Connecticut high school teacher who is accused of having sex with a special education student. And there’s Tiffany Geliga.
