Boris Bastidas, a Catholic high school teacher in Hollywood, Florida, who was arrested in March 2024 for sexual misconduct with a student, entered into a plea agreement on June 11, 2024. Bastidas changed his plea to guilty to charges that he used coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and traveling in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in any illicit sexual conduct with another person. This guilty plea was accepted, and Bastidas will be sentenced on September 17, 2024, at 11:00 AM in Miami Division at the James Lawrence King Building, 99 NE 4th Street, 11th Floor, before Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks.
Bastidas’s Arrest
According to media reports, on March 14, 2024, Boris Fernando Bastidas, a 35-year-old teacher at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory, was apprehended by the FBI Miami Child Exploitation Task Force. Bastidas was accused of manipulating a 15-year-old female student into a sexual relationship. According to the criminal complaint, the sexual contact between Bastidas and the student unfolded in unsettling ways, including vulgar emails and texts exchanged that progressed from professional to personal, as well as meetings that escalated into a sexual relationship.
The FBI Investigation
In a 15-page report by the FBI, details of the affair that Bastidas had with the student. The FBI stated that on February 12, 2024, they received a complaint regarding a statutory rape of a 15-year-old female by a woman who identified herself as the victim’s mother. Authorities received written consent to search the device of the victim, who said she spoke with Bastidas through the school’s email account, and their conversations later moved to personal accounts to include Google emails, Google chats, and text messages. Texts found included,
“I’m never gonna judge you the way you thought I would. You’re one of the best students I’ve had, so I can’t judge you, but you’re not just a student at this point.” According to the complaint, Bastidas texted the victim on or around Aug. 3.
Victim’s reply: “I know that now. Ever since I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve known that. You’re the best teacher I’ve had but do you also rlly think you’re just my teacher at this point? Cuz you haven’t been just my teacher for a while now, you been so much more and have meant so much more,” the victim responded through text message,” the complaint stated.
“I’ll always love you. I need you. I wanna love you,” he wrote. Bastidas went on to say, ” I want you to touch your body. I want my body on yours; I want to f— you.”
“I’ll always love you too, I need you so much, and I want your love, I wanna give you my love,” the victim responded.
The Factual Proffer states that when the FBI conducted its investigation, the administration of Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory (CMCP) told the FBI that they had received multiple messages regarding the sexual relationship between the minor student and Bastidas. During the school’s investigation, they revealed that there were no emails in the teacher’s inbox, but they were able to recover deleted emails from the school’s backup server. When the faculty addressed these concerns with Bastidas in February 2024, he denied the allegations.
The emails and texts revealed that in August of 2023, the victim and Bastidas discussed meeting up to discuss their feelings towards each other. The victim told authorities that they met at Publix grocery store in Monarch Lakes, where she worked, and at the Dunkin Donuts in the same plaza where they had their first kiss. The victim admitted that she took photos of herself and would send them to Bastidas, authorities said. The complaint also stated that Bastidas had the victim perform oral sex on him on multiple occasions, including in the parking lot of the victim’s job in Miramar and in an abandoned parking lot in Hollywood, FL. They also uncovered many vulgar texts describing what Bastidas wanted to do to the minor sexually.
The victim told the FBI that Bastidas had sexual intercourse multiple times with her as well as oral sex during the school’s Model United Nations field trip to New York, where he was her chaperone, the complaint stated. The victim also stated that Bastidas would often give her gifts that included jewelry, T-shirts, and a keychain, which were photographed by the FBI. According to public records, Mr. Bastidas’ wife filed for divorce from him in Broward County on April 12, 2024, shortly after his arrest. He was also fired from his job.
Schools are educational institutions in which children should be able to learn and develop skills in a nurturing environment. It is expected that they are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and sexual abuse. Teachers and coaches are entrusted to facilitate learning and support the educational needs of their students. Someone who sexually violates young children has no place working in the school system. Any school where such a crime is committed should take responsibility if they fail to screen potential teachers and protect their students adequately.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse in schools and other educational settings. If you or a loved one was sexually abused, raped, or sexually molested by a principal, teacher, or another school employee, contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or e-mail sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz, at [email protected] for a free consultation.