The jury has returned in the Lina Sinha case, the now 40 year old former Principal of the Montessori School of New York. The verdict? Guilty.
The former principal of a Manhattan private school was convicted yesterday of having sex with one of her students in a classroom when he was about 13 and she was about 30. The jury deadlocked on charges that the principal… also had sex with a second student about five years after she seduced the first boy. [Link]
<
p>There’s actually a ton of desiness in here. Prosecutors brought up the fact that she lived with her parents to depict her as a sheltered woman, hence her interest in much younger guys:
Prosecutors portrayed Ms. Sinha as a sheltered woman who lived with her parents in the town house housing the school, which her family owned, until she was in her late 30s. [Link]
<
p>How did she live with her parents in the building the school was set in? Simple. They own the school. She not only lived with mom and dad, but she worked in the family business as well:
Sinha has been a teacher for 16 years at the Montessori International School of New York, which was established by her parents in 1969 … The parents own two similar schools in the city. [Link]
<
p>Interestingly, reviews of the school are very harsh and negative, particularly on the family owned aspect (to be fair, these were written after the scandal broke and may not be accurate):
It is a completely creepy school. It is family-run, and there seems to be absolutely no accountability. Parents are discouraged from being involved with the school and the teachers; it’s unclear what the teachers’ credentials are… we were quite traumatized by the school. The graduates of the school … seem to be brainwashed, as if all their personality had been bled out of them — it is very very strange. [Link]
<
p>I don’t know if the school is creepy, but the photo below, taken from their website of somebody who seems to look like Lina, is most definitely creepy!
<
p>
<
p>There was also a desi juror, a Mr. Sam Desai, who presumably knew that not all women who live with their parents molest underaged boys:
One juror, Sam Desai, said in an interview that although there were some “heated moments” during deliberations, the jurors did not doubt the credibility of the first accuser. His testimony was the “primary piece of evidence” leading to conviction, Mr. Desai said.
He said the jurors, during deliberations, did discuss whether they would think differently about the case if the defendant was a man and the accusers were women. “Those types of hypotheticals were used all the time, and what came out was the best result,” he said. [Link]
She’s been convicted of several minor counts as well, and now faces up to 7 years in jail:
Besides the sodomy and witness bribery counts, Sinha was convicted on several counts of criminal impersonation and falsely reporting an incident, all misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail. [Link]
<
p>The judge just raised her bail seven times from $50,000 to $3.5 million dollars. Her lawyer said her parents would come up with the bail and that they were confident of winning upon appeal.
<
p>Previous post: Mature Macaca Molested Montessori Minor, Maybe
She is going to catch hell in prison for that mess. I wonder what goes through folks minds when they decide to mess with children she will get what she deserves.
she would not do that stupid in the class but outside the classroom or school. let her enjoy. nothing wrong.
This is a very tall order for a 13 year old. Most 21 year old men would flunk this standard.
She is the adult here and 13 is quite young even if it once made you eligible for child-marriage in India. I have some misgivings about whether all adult-child affairs result in permanent harm. I recall reading about some psychological studies with confounding results. However, the law has to draw the line somewhere and adults are responsible for adhering to dominant community standards with regard to appropriate behaviour vis-a-vis children.
First time I’ve seen those four in that order – wonder if it tastes any different…
Shodan (sorry for misspelling your name last time) Again, I think you want to create an argument for the sake of creating one. I never said that there were an equal number of men and women victims in India. The number of crimes against women in India dwarf every other crime. But that does not mean that the government should pass laws that presume guilt. There has to be equality in the way the courts treat victims irrespective of gender.
Kinda have to agree with Desidawg here,
it was always supposed to be “Presumed Innocent until proven Guilty”
now with the new laws, its Guilty until proven innocent.
is it just me, or is there really a huge potential for misuse for the law??
i think after she gets out of jail, her and sanjaya should go out. that would make an awesome mtv/vh1 reality show and be the birth of the first indian american power couple in hollywood.
“The former principal of a Manhattan private school was convicted yesterday of having sex with one of her students in a classroom…”
The act took place in a classroom. A simple video surveillance system may have been either a deterrent to this woman, or if she claimed innocence, a video proof of her innocence. Can’t imagine how a family experienced in the school business did not have a camera in every classroom.
The title and post 22 have me in stitches.
She may not have those ice blue eyes of Debra LaFave, but she’s more than adequate daydream fodder for your average pubescent male.
I wonder if this means that attractive women are going to have a tougher time getting jobs as schoolteachers?
The act took place over a decade ago now (more like 13 years?). That’s part of the reason. But they don’t seem to have run their school in a highly professional fashion.
As a teacher, I find this idea demeaning at best. Is it not enough to have my fingerprints on file alongside common criminals?
This is for Manju # 48
Manju,
You say that the kid needs to take responsibility for his actions. There is a reason why we don’t allow kids to drive, buy cigarettes, buy alcohol, drive, vote, marry ,stand for public office etc.Its physiological and psychological – kids are not capable of making informed or sensible decisions.We do allow adults to make those decisions, though not all adults always make sensible or well-thought out ones.With every privilege comes responsibility.
So , when in any relationship, one person is an adult and one is a kid – who takes responsibility? Obviously – the adult.
Even if – and I can hardly bear to type this – the kids in these cases are the initiators of sexual contact -what does that prove?NOTHING – just that kids are not capable of making informed or well-thought out decisions.So I do think there is only one way of looking at the adult predator/child victim paradigm.
I am genuinely puzzled because I do not see any other side to this debate.This is one issue where I thought everyone would agree and I am amazed to find that some of the posters here actually seem to think that pedophilia is ok and that we can blame the victim
“As a teacher, I find this idea demeaning at best.”
Consider it self preservation. How would you feel if a student accused you of such an act, which incidentally has happened with alarming frequency? Wouldn’t you be thankful that the camera was there to prove you innocent?
I might as well open up here. One of my two companies owns a chain of preschools. Although I am far removed from the children, as a CEO, my fingerprints are on file. That really does not offend me as much as the fact that anybody can make an anonymous complaint to the DCF against any preschool – a center they may not even have visited – and the DCF is supposed to investigate the school within 48 hours. We have had disgruntled employees, parents who didn’t want to follow our normal practices, even a supplier whom we eliminated make such complaints. They were all anonymous, but the perpetrators had left some tell-tale remarks that were repeated to us by DCF.
I guess if you are in a position of authority over people who are unable to defend themselves – children, the elderly, the sick – you have to subject yourself to some “demeaning” rules. That’s the price of transparency in a socially advanced nation.
Now why she wasn’t my teacher. we’d be choki chakan chan pakiyaah all the time
I can’t believe this. Neither can I believe the one about the fashion designer raping those girls. Maybe it’s because both people have innocent faces and dispositions. I mean, there is nothing about neither of them that wreaks perverted. I wonder is this some underlying trend to sabotage the images of East Indians in the media? I wonder.
I can’t believe it.
Yes that’s it. People are trying to shed Indians in a negative light! Where were you a week ago when this was being analyzed to death? It would have saved everyone’s time if you had this analysis up front.
were and when will it end? when you have sex with a minor in this country, it is aganist the law.