A Los Angeles school teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping a 13-year-old student. Colleen Jo Matarico, 44, received her sentence on Monday, April 27, during her final court appearance.
Matarico had previously pleaded no contest to two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old. Six other charges against her were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
During sentencing, the disgraced teacher smiled, laughed, and shook her head. She was ordered to have no contact with her victim, identified as “Jeremiah,” either directly, electronically, or through a third party.
Her only spoken words were “Good morning” and “Yes” when the judge asked if she understood the sentence. She sat beside her attorney, Leonard Levine, who whispered to her moments before she was taken away to begin her decade-long sentence. A bailiff escorted her out of the secure courtroom, and attorneys followed.
Matarico, who taught at John Burroughs Middle School, began abusing the boy she called “crystal meth” when he turned 13, while she was still his teacher, prosecutors revealed. Most of the sexual abuse occurred between August and November 2025, according to the criminal complaint. She also allegedly gave the boy marijuana and told him she planned to leave her husband for him.
Levine described the case to The California Post as “very unfortunate” and stated that Matarico is “doing as well as she can.” He expressed confidence that she would not contact the victim, saying she was remorseful and understood the wrongfulness of her actions.
