The former head mistress of a private New York school has been convicted of having sex with a 13-year-student in a classroom almost a decade ago.
Lina Sinha, 40, faces up to 18 years in jail for two counts of oral sex with the boy, who is now a 24-year-old police officer, and for bribing a witness. Jurors deadlocked 7-5 in favor of conviction on six additional counts of statutory rape involving a second student who accused Sinha of raping him when he was 12. Those charges carry 25-year sentences.
Sinha, who holds two masters degrees from Columbia University, was principal of the Montessori School of New York in Manhattan, which is owned by her family. She has been released on a $3.5 million bond posted by her parents, who put up two of three Montessori school they own as security for the bond.
During the trial, the defense acknowledged a romantic relationship between Sinha and her first accuser, but asserted that it began only after he turned 17, the legal age of consent in New York state. It accused the man of fabricating the claim of underage sex to protect his police job after Sinha filed charges against him.
The prosecution portrayed Sinha as a pedophile who preyed on vulnerable young boys and argued that she had intercourse with the boy on his 15th birthday in 1996. She was not charged with statutory rape, however, as it occurred in the Brooklyn branch of the school, which is in a different jurisdiction.
During the trial, the victim testified about a rocky nine-year romantic relationship with Sinha, who, he said, promised him love and marriage. He claimed that he sneaked past security cameras to spend weekends with her in her bedroom, which was in the same building as the school.
Ironically, the charges against Sinha came to light after she filed false rape and assault charges against the police officer to avenge his attempts to break up their relationships in 2005.
Jurors were split on the credibility of the second boy, now 19, currently on probation for a drug conviction, who claims Sinha raped him in 2001.
In all, jurors convicted Sinha of 11 counts, including nine misdemeanors, mostly involving filing false reports. They acquitted her of two charges and deadlocked on six others, all involving statutory rape allegations by the second boy.
The defense promised to appeal and the prosecution announced it will retry Sinha on the six charges on which the jury deadlocked. Sentencing is scheduled for April 19.
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