Teacher used friend’s suicide to groom students he is accused of sexually assaulting, officials say – NJ.com

A Catholic school teacher accused of having sexual relationships with two students allegedly used a good friend’s suicide as a grooming tactic, prosecutors’ said during a Thursday detention hearing.

Carlos A. Franco-Leon, 42, faces a number of charges, including sexual assault and aggravated assault, stemming from his time as a teacher and volleyball coach at Morris Catholic High School in Denville. He was ordered detained ahead of a trial by Judge David H. Ironson in Superior Court in Morris County.

Franco-Leon is accused of sexually assaulting two Morris Catholic volleyball players, starting when they were 15. Assistant Prosecutor Reema Kareer said Franco-Leon used his position as a coach and teacher to groom the two girls, including comforting them when a friend committed suicide.

Judge Ironson said the severity of the charges against Franco-Leon, paired with the weight of the evidence, multiple alleged victims, and an apparent admission were reason to keep Franco-Leon jailed.

Franco-Leon did not speak during the hearing, except to say he understood the charges against him and to waive a reading of those charges. He waived at several family members as he was led out of the courtroom.

Those family members declined to speak with reporters following the hearing.

Kareer said the relationship Franco-Leon had with one student lasted years, starting in early 2015, and he would engage in oral sex with the other in Morris Catholic classrooms.

As part of the longer relationship, Franco-Leon is accused of buying her an adult toy, and sending her a card that says “I love you,” officials said.

In addition to the alleged sexual assaults, Franco-Leon is accused of hacking into one girl’s Instagram account to monitor her conversations, and into the other’s Venmo account to steal money.

Franco-Leon, who majored in computer science and taught computer classes throughout his career, allegedly told the two girls, “I know a lot more than you think I know and I can do a lot more than you think I can,” Kareer said. Both feared the possibility of more hacking, Kareer said.

Franco-Leon’s defense attorney, Brittany Calzone, described Franco-Leon as a stand-up man who once saved a Catholic high school from shutting down. She said he is a married father of two young children who worked at summer camps for underprivileged children.

Although a Division of Child Protection and Permanency investigation was conducted into Franco-Leon after he left Morris Catholic, he did not have any allegations against him during his time at the school, Calzone said. No charges resulted from that investigation.

“For the entire period of time that he was employed by Morris Catholic High School, he was in compliance with Diocesan protocols, which are mandated for the protection of children: a negative criminal history background check, participation in Protecting God’s Children and signing off on receipt and compliance with the Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct,” a spokesman for the Diocese of Paterson, which includes the high school, said in a statement.

Franco-Leon voluntarily left Morris Catholic in 2018, and told investigators he left because of a “strong emotional connection” he felt with one of the girls. He then began teaching and coaching at Roselle Catholic High School in Union County. He has since been suspended.

Before coming to Morris Catholic, Franco-Leon taught and coached at Immaculate Conception in Montclair. His 14-year teaching career raised the possibility of additional victims, Kareer said, something Franco-Leon’s defense attorney strongly denied. Franco-Leon has not been charged with crimes in Essex or Union Counties.

During an interview with police, Franco-Leon allegedly admitted to the relationship with one student, saying it lasted years. He also allegedly admitted to bringing one student to a hotel, and sending her a nude photograph on Snapchat.

He will next appear in court on April 13 for a pre-indictment conference.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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