Teacher raped, sexually abused students

A high school teacher employed at Cathedral High School in Manhattan has been charged with the statutory rape of one student and the sexual abuse of a second student. Both incidents are alleged to have taken place in Queens.
“The defendant, who was entrusted with the care, custody and education of these students, is alleged to have betrayed that trust in taking advantage of them,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
The defendant has been identified as Richard Ali, 27, of 91-48 115th Street in Richmond Hill. He is employed as a teacher at Cathedral High School, a Catholic college preparatory school for young women located at 350 East 56th Street in Manhattan. He has been charged with three counts of third-degree rape, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of third-degree sexual abuse. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, in January, Ali had sexual intercourse with a female student under the age of 17 while his vehicle was parked in the vicinity of Long Island City High School.
The complaint further alleges that, during the 2006-2007 school year, Ali placed several phone calls to another student, also less than 17 years of age, and spoke about wanting to have sex with the student.
It is also alleged that on February 3, Ali and the student were together at the Whitestone Movie Cinemas when he began to rub the student’s legs and then put his hand up her shirt and rubbed her stomach and breasts.
According to Brown, an investigation began when one of the students informed a school guidance counselor of the alleged sexual abuse. The guidance counselor, in turn, reported the incident to the school principal, who then reported it to the police.
Ali was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Robert Raciti who set bail at $40,000, granted orders of protection for both victims and set a return date of April 9.