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Rego Park teacher pleads guilty to sexually abusing boys, won’t see prison time

PS 174
Photo courtesy of Nicholas Strini/PropertyShark

A Rego Park elementary school computer teacher will be sentenced to 10 years of probation after he pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with minors in his classroom over the course of four years, according to District Attorney Richard Brown.

Wilbert Cortez, 52, admitted to one count of first-degree sex abuse and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child when he appeared in court on Wednesday. Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder will sentence Cortez on March 30.

On top of serving probation, Cortez, who taught at P.S. 174, will lose his New York State Teacher’s Certificate, must complete sex offender counseling and will register as a sex offender.

According to Brown, Cortez engaged in sexual conduct with four boys younger than 11 years old on multiple occasions beginning in 2007, in 2010 through the spring of 2011, and again in the fall of 2011.

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