Talia Sisco, a student teacher and college honor student from California, is accused in the sexual assault of multiple teenage boys along with her best friend in a case in which one of the two women allegedly described herself as a “sexual deviant.”
Tina Pourani, a woman described as Sisco’s “best friend,” was arrested too. Henry Lee, a reporter for KTUE-TV, wrote on Twitter, “Self-described ‘sexual deviant’ best friends arrested for having sex w/15 and 16yo boys, per @SCCoSheriff. Talia Sisco was a student-teacher at Bernal Middle School, but alleged victims were high school students.” It’s not clear which woman used the “sexual deviant” term. The Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department brought forth the accusations.
Self-described “sexual deviant” best friends arrested for having sex w/15 and 16yo boys, per @SCCoSheriff. Talia Sisco was a student-teacher at Bernal Middle School, but alleged victims were high school students
Sisco is but the latest educational professional to be accused of sexual misconduct with a student. You can see more examples toward the end of this article.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Authorities Accuse Talia Sisco & Tina Pourani of Having Sex With Multiple Underage Teenage Boys
It’s alleged that there are multiple underage victims of the two women.
NBC Bay Area reporter Robert Handa wrote on Twitter, “Two South Bay women arrested for #sex with underage teen boys. Talia Sisco … was student-teacher at a SJ school and being held without bail. #Sheriff’s Dept says no connection yet to school but looking for possible victims. Tina Pourani…released on bail.”
According to the San Jose Mercury News, authorities alleged in June 2018 that both Sisco and Pourani “had sex with multiple teenage boys earlier this year.”
Talia Sisco
It’s believed by authorities that the victims were ages 15 and 16.
Sheriff’s Sgt. R. Glennon said to KSBW-TV that police found “extensive evidence of a graphic sexual nature,” adding, “Sexual Assault Investigators determined both suspects were 23 years old at the time of the sexual encounters, while the males were 15 and 16 years old.”
2. The Women Have Been ‘Best Friends’ Since High School, Where Sisco Was an Athlete
Tina Pourani
The two women have been close for years. Pourani is 23, and Sisco is 24, according to online records. According to The Mercury News, the women first became best friends at Saratoga High School.
The women have scrubbed their Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts, deleting most of them. A LinkedIn page in Pourani’s name stated that she was a college student. A prep sports website, which contains multiple photos of Talia Sisco, says she graduated in 2012 and was a 5 foot 10 inch tall athlete in high school. She played volleyball, basketball, and softball, according to the site.
A story from 2011 on the Saratoa High School women’s volleyball team reported that “Senior outside hitter Talia Sisco led the team with a grand total of 211 kills and 33 aces by the end of the season.”
The charges against Sisco are for Oral Copulation of a Minor, multiple counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and Arranging a Meeting with a Minor to Commit a Sex Offense.
Saratoga High School is located in Saratoga, California. That’s the current hometown listed for Sisco. The cache for Sisco’s now deleted Facebook account says she wrote: “Masters of Arts in Teaching and Credential. Education. April 2017 – Present. San Diego State University. English language. Class of 2016. Saratoga High School.”
An old news story on the Saratoga High School website described how Talia Sisco was involved in multimedia journalism broadcasts. It described how she sat in a movie director chair, “reporting news that will soon stream throughout the entire school. Accompanied by the wide green screen walls and supplied with the necessary new technology to create a video report, students in the Multimedia Journalism feel as if they’re in a professional television studio.”
3. Sisco Worked at a Local Middle School & Was a College Honors Student
These are the two women accused of having sex with minors. @SCCoSheriff say these best friends described themselves as “sexual deviants” and would boast about their alleged crimes. @abc7newsbayarea #abc7now
According to ABC 7, Talis Sisco was a student teacher at Bernal Middle School in Santa Clara, California. However, authorities are not alleging that the two women found their victims at the middle school level. Rather, they allege that the women forged sexual relationships with a series of high school-age boys.
Reporter Carlos Saucedo wrote on Twitter that the woman were accused of boasting about the alleged crimes.
Pourani, who is from San Jose, California, is accused of Oral Copulation of a Minor and Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor.
One woman wrote on Twitter, “Talia Sisco was my class’s student teacher. She left at the end of the year and everyone was sad but now I’m kind of glad she did. We never would have thought she would do this.”
According to San Diego State University, Talia Sisco graduated with magna cum laude honors at the university with a degree in English. “Of the nearly 9,900 graduates who walked across the stage during San Diego State University’s Commencement Ceremonies, only a select group earned recognition as honors graduates including Talia Sisco from Saratoga,” the university wrote on its website.
The university explained, “Graduating ‘with honors’ is the sign of a student who has made the most of their time at SDSU, enjoying transformational experiences and preparing them for a successful future, whether they are joining the workforce or exploring an advanced degree.” Sisco was listed as being among the class of 2016. She was also a scholarship winner in high school.
Online records show that Pourani was a cross country runner in high school.
4. The Sheriff Called the Two Women ‘Predators’
The sheriff did not mince words when it came to describing the two women.
“The protection of our children is always a top priority for our agency. I am grateful these predators were brought to justice. If there are other victims still out there, please come forward,” said Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, according to ABC 7.
Authorities want to know if there are more potential victims, and they ask anyone with information to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Detective Unit at 408-808-4500 or the Sheriff’s Office Investigative Services anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
5. Multiple Female Teachers in the United States Have Ended Up in Trouble With the Law
TwitterShawnetta Reece.
Female teachers or educational professionals ending up in mugshots has become a too common phenomenon over the past few years. Kayla Sprinkles was one of the latest. Haley Reed, a high school choir director, was accused in the rape of a student. Miranda Pauley, a former biology teacher, was accused of taking indecent liberties with a minor.
Cassandra White, an English teacher in Oklahoma, was even accused of taking out a marriage license with a teenage boy. Hunter Day, an Oklahoma teacher, was accused of sending nude photos to a student. 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.
