California school aide pleads guilty to having sexual relationship with teen student

A contract aide at a San Diego-area high school pleaded guilty on Thursday to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student, the New York Post reports.

Lisette Ortega Veles, 32, was arrested in May after investigators uncovered the one-year affair, which took place off campus and included intercourse and other sexual acts. She also was charged with attempting to dissuade the victim, the Post reported.

Ortega faces up to five years in prison at her sentencing Oct. 29.

She worked at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach as a student support aide. She was hired by a third-party contractor that said she had passed a background check. Support aides typically assist students who need help because of learning difficulties, behavioral challenges or other personal circumstances.

In 2019, the Sweetwater Union High School District paid a $2 million settlement to a former Mar Vista student who was sexually abused by a JROTC teacher, NBC 7 reported.

In an unrelated case, Christina Formella of Illinois is accused of having a two-year sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student. Prosecutors say the affair began when Formella, 30, began tutoring him after he was injured playing sports. She is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 6.

(Image credit: Screenshot/NBC 7)