Teacher Stephanie Ragusa Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sex With Students

June 28, 2010— -- A Florida teacher convicted of having sex with two of her students, was called a sexual predator today by a judge who sentenced her to 10 years in prison.

Stephanie Ragusa, wearing an orange jumpsuit, cried at one point during her sentencing hearing, but nodded her head in approval as Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe also imposed five years of sexual offender probation on the 31-year-old defendant.

"You were a teacher," Tharpe said. "And as parents, we place our trust in teachers to provide a safe environment in which our children can learn. You violated that trust in the worst imaginable way. You preyed on these young boys..."

The judge described Ragusa's demeanor during her court appearances as arrogant.

"You had a very lackadaisical attitude on your face, smiling, jovial," Tharpe said. "If I had to sum up your attitude in one word, it would be arrogance. I don't know as we stand here today that you truly appreciate the harm that you caused. I honestly believe, Ms. Ragusa, that you are a sexual predator. And I honestly believe that you are a danger to children in our community."

Ragusa, a former math teacher at Davidsen Middle School in Tampa, Fla., pleaded guilty in April to three counts of lewd and lascivious battery involving a 14-year-old boy, and two counts of having unlawful sex with a minor involving a 16-year-old student. The assaults occurred in 2008.

The prosecution described Ragusa as a master manipulator who sexually preyed on the most vulnerable teenage boys. Both boys she abused came from broken homes.

The defense, however, said Ragusa was remorseful, a mentally disturbed woman with no prior criminal history, and a victim of traumatic experiences in her life. They asked for probation and house arrest.

Tharpe sentenced her to the maximum according to a plea deal, 10 years in prison followed by five years of sex offender probation.

The sentence was imposed after the mother of one of the victims, a 14-year-old boy, told the court that she believes the former Davidsen Middle School teacher "maliciously" preyed on her son's emotional disabilities.