An attorney’s criminal conviction has resulted in disciplinary charges filed by the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel.
Cleveland.com reported on the crimes
A North Royalton man pleaded guilty Monday to sexually abusing two students while he was a teacher at a private high school in Willoughby Hills.
Anthony J. Polizzi Jr., 41, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual battery and two counts of gross sexual imposition in a series of incidents that happened while he was teaching history at Cornerstone Christian Academy, Lake County Prosecutor Charles Coulson said.
The two former students were 18 and 17 years old when the sexual abuse occurred from 2008 to 2010, according to court records.
Polizzi initially faced 46 counts of sexual battery, 34 counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of attempted sexual battery, but prosecutors dropped the additional charges as part of a plea deal.
Judge John P. O’Donnell will sentence him May 4 in Lake County Common Pleas Court.
Polizzi’s attorney, Joseph Patituce, could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
One of the former students reported that Polizzi sexually abused her when she was a senior in high school in early 2010. Polizzi was “unusually friendly” toward her and messaged her on Facebook, according to a police report.
Polizzi took the student to a park across the street from the school. He groped her and kissed her, then told her she could be expelled if she told anyone, the report says.
Polizzi sexually abused the student at least 10 other times at the school, in a nearby parking lot and at a Willoughby Hills apartment complex, the report says.
Detectives learned of the second woman while investigating the first woman’s accusations against Polizzi, police said.
Polizzi left Cornerstone Christian Academy in 2010. The high school’s leadership has changed since that time, and current administrators first learned of the allegations against Polizzi following his indictment, current Head of School Sandi Ortiz said.
He received a 33-year term of imprisonment. (Mike Frisch)