Overview
- Michelle Mercogliano, 36, pleaded guilty to institutional sexual assault and corruption of minors and received a 15‑month state‑prison term with at least 80 months of supervised probation.
- Under the outcome, she must register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years, forfeited her teaching license, and cannot work with children while on probation.
- A police complaint says she bought medical marijuana for the teen about 15 times, then met him roughly a dozen times for sex, usually in a bedroom at her parents’ home in Wayne.
- The investigation started after the boy’s father found dispensary packaging in his closet labeled with her name and the teen confided in his sister, who told their parents.
- Investigators say the two used Snapchat and text to communicate in secret, and prosecutors called the conduct a serious breach of the trust families place in teachers.