A married female teacher is facing up to 10 years in prison after she confessed to having depraved relationships with two students.
Julie Rizzitello, 37, pleaded guilty last week to two counts of second-degree sexual assault.
The disgraced high school English teacher engaged in ‘various sexual acts’ with the students on multiple occasions and in three cities across New Jersey.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is seeking that Rizzitello spend a decade in state prison, register as a sex offender for life and permanently forfeit her teaching license.
The state is also recommending parole supervision for life, a sentence in New Jersey which requires people convicted of certain sex crimes to remain under parole board supervision for a minimum of 15 years.
Her sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2026.
Rizzitello, who tied the knot with her husband in 2017, was arrested in July last year, just days after she resigned from her role at Wall Township High School.
Investigators determined she was engaged in sexual relations with an 18-year-old student between April and June 2024. She also had sex with a separate teen student multiple times between 2017 and 2018.
Rizzitello was hired by the district in 2013 and taught ninth-grade English and SAT prep. She earned an annual salary of $62,000, according to state pension records.
The former teacher also served as an advisor for several clubs in the area.
Her educational career came to halt last year after she was arrested at her home on July 3 and accused of sexually assaulting her student.
Police say she sent the student nude photographs and exchanged ‘numerous’ sexually explicit messages, according to charging documents obtained by The Star-Ledger.
She also met up with the 18-year-old in person in Brick, Belmar and Wall townships.
So-called ‘sexual gratification’ between Rizzitello and the student began in April 2024, The Coast Star reports.
They had ‘oral and vaginal intercourse’ between May and June, with at least one of their encounters having taken place in the victim’s car.
A second victim claimed that he and Rizzitello were having ‘vaginal intercourse’ at her home in Brick Township between November 2017 and January 2018.
Detectives also obtained pictures and text messages that corroborated the victim’s accusations.
‘The actions of this former teacher represent a betrayal of trust, not only to the victims, but to the entire school community,’ Wall Township Chief of Police Sean O’Halloran told the Coast Star.
‘I commend the courage of those who came forward and the dedication of our officers and partner agencies in bringing this case to justice.’
O’Halloran added: ‘Protecting our youth is among our highest priority, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that criminals are brought to justice to safeguard our residents and guests.’
Daily Mail has approached the Wall Township Public School District for comment.