The sixth-grade teacher accused of bedding a 14-year-old former student performed his perverse acts in the Queens apartment he shares with his wife and baby daughter, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Daniel Reilly, 36, is accused of having sex at least 10 times with the girl in his Forest Hills apartment over an eight-month period beginning last October and continuing into April — with their most recent illicit hookup just four days ago, according to court documents.
“The defendant planned on keeping the relationship secret,” a prosecutor said, charging he had the girl use a code name for him in her cell phone.
The alleged relationship between Reilly and the teen was discovered when the girl’s sister found a series of text messages exchanged between the student and her former teacher, police sources said. The sister showed them to her parents, and they contacted school officials.
Reilly was arrested Monday at Intermediate School 237 in Flushing and has been reassigned out of a classroom setting. The English teacher, who makes $61,586 a year, had no history of disciplinary problems since he was hired in 2007, the agency said.
Reilly’s victim was one of his students at IS 237, said an Education Department source. The girl now attends another school, the source said.
“As I’ve said before, this is totally unacceptable,” said Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. “We have no tolerance for that. Keep your hands off our students.”
Reilly was arraigned and released on $30,000 bail Tuesday. He’s due back in court May 6 and could face seven years in prison if convicted on the rape, child endangerment and sexual abuse charges.
The former Marine sergeant — who served from 1996 to 2000 — was silent throughout the proceedings, as his wife and mother-in-law listened from a court bench behind him.
Prosecutors said Reilly began texting his former sixth-grade student this past August, saying he wanted to have sex with her.
They had intercourse 10 times in the Forest Hills apartment Reilly shared with his wife and 11-month-old daughter, prosecutors told the judge.
Prosecutors sought bail of $75,000. Reilly’s lawyer, Eric Franz, argued for $25,000 bail.
“These are simply allegations. There’s no allegation whatsoever of any violence,” Franz said during the arraignment.
After the hearing, Franz told reporters that the charges were “regrettable,” and further investigation was needed to determine a proper outcome.
“He’s a decorated Marine honorably discharged as a sergeant from the military,” Franz said. “He’s feeling relieved to get home to his family.”
Reilly's lawyer Eric Franz (right) leads Reilly's wife out of court.
Reilly and his wife, Annemarie Reilly, a lawyer at a midtown firm, disappeared in a Ford Explorer after his arraignment. Reilly was ordered to stay away from the girl.
“This case is particularly disturbing. Schools should be safe havens for children. Instead, this defendant is accused of sexually preying upon one of his former students,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
The teacher was a favorite among students who knew him at IS 237.
“He was actually a really cool teacher,” said a girl who was in his class last year. “He was funny, he was nice, he joked around a lot.”
Another female student chimed in that “everyone liked him — he was a really nice teacher.”
Mario Bosco, 52, whose 12-year-old daughter isn’t one of Reilly’s students, said he was shocked by the allegations.
“We couldn’t believe it. I’m glad he got caught. It’s really inappropriate. These kids are 11, 12, 13 years old. You’re a full-grown man,” he said.
Students said the school’s staff had told the kids not to talk to reporters and reminded them Reilly hadn’t been convicted of any charges.
Neighbors said the couple dotes on their child. One, who declined to give his name, praised Reilly.
“Somebody’s fabricating things about him,” said the neighbor.
“I’m here all the time, he comes home in normal time, he’s never brought anybody with him. I hope it’s a fabrication. But if it’s true, he put up a good front.”
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