Stephanie Ragusa receives 10 years in prison

The former Hillsborough County teacher accused of having sex with middle-school aged boys was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday afternoon.

Stephanie Ragusa pleaded guilty in April to three counts of lewd and lascivious battery and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

In addition to the prison sentence, Ragusa also received 15 years of sexual offender probation.

Ragusa, 31, took a plea deal before her trial was expected to start.

Before sentencing Ragusa, judge Chet Tharpe told Ragusa she violated the trust the community places on teachers. He gave her the maximum sentence allowable under the plea deal.

"I honestly believe, Miss Ragusa, that you are a sexual predator," Tharpe said. "I'm going to sentence you to ten years in the Florida State Prison."

The mother of one of the victims, who was 14, told the judge her son has been emotionally damaged by the case.

"He has dealt with a lot of sense of guilt," the mother said. "He feels that it was his fault that all of this is happening."

The family of another victim, who was 16, did not take the stand, but Ragusa's father was in court and asked the judge for leniency.

"I implore, your honor, that you please let my daughter come home," Ricardo Ragusa said.

The defense attorney hoped that a previously undiagnosed mental disorder would help Ragusa get a more lenient sentence. A jail psychologist told the judge that Ragusa is bi-polar.

But the prosecutor said Ragusa could be treated for that mental disorder in prison.

Story background

Ragusa had taught at Davidsen Middle School. She had been in jail since April 2008 awaiting a court date.

Ragusa was first arrested in March 2008 after a 15-year-old boy said they had a relationship when he was 14 years old.

She was arrested for the second time April 15, 2008, after a second student, who was 16, said he had sex with her.

Ragusa was arrested a third time on April 28, 2008, after deputies conducting a follow-up call with one of her accusers discovered Ragusa and the boy together again.