A 49-year-old teacher from Redwood City is facing over dozen felony charges involving sexual misconduct with a minor in her family, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.
Dawn Giannini was booked into jail Oct. 17 in connection with charges that spanned from Nov. 21, 2014, to Nov. 20, 2015.
The case came to light this year when a Woodside High School classmate of the female victim saw the sexual acts on the online pornography site Pornhub.com and reported it to the principal, prosecutors said. On multiple occasions, Giannini allegedly engaged in a number of sexual acts with the girl, age 14 at the time, that were recorded on the victim’s phone and ultimately uploaded to the online porn site. Prosecutors are not releasing the relationship between Giannini and the girl, saying only they are family members. The acts occurred in at least two counties: San Mateo County and during a trip to Santa Cruz County, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told NBC Bay Area.
The principal notified the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and Giannini was arrested.
At the time of her arrest, Giannini was working as a substitute special education teacher, although it was not immediately clear where, prosecutors said. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, she worked at St. Elizabeth Seton School in Palo Alto in the 2016-17 school year.
The arrest and charges have rocked the Elks Club in Redwood City, where both Giannini and her husband socialized.
Giannini is being held on $1.75 million bail. She is scheduled to enter her plea Nov. 5.
