Jan. 25, 2022 -- Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that former Salesian High School teacher Mariela Barajas was arraigned for disseminating indecent material to a 15-year-old.
Barajas, 22, of Mount Vernon, was charged on Jan. 24, 2022, in Mount Vernon City Court with Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the First Degree, a felony. The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office made the arrest following an investigation, with assistance from the Mount Vernon Police Department and New Rochelle Police Department.
While employed at the New Rochelle school, in Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2022, Barajas engaged in a series of sexually explicit conversations with the male victim on Instagram and Snapchat. During the conversations, the defendant sent the victim naked videos of herself engaged in sexual acts.
Barajas is scheduled to appear again in Mount Vernon City Court on Feb. 14, 2022.
The case is being prosecuted jointly by the Trials and Investigations Division Cyber Crimes Bureau and the Special Prosecutions Division Child Abuse Bureau. If anyone has been a victim or has further information on this case, please contact the District Attorney’s Office at (914) 995-TIPS.
The charges against the defendant are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Jess Vecchiarelli, Director of Communications
(914) 995-3586
jvecchiarelli@westchesterda.net
