BUFFALO, NY-- A former wrestling coach for the Eden School District was sentenced Thursday for having sex with two female high school students, ages 16 and 15.
Justin Farrara, 27, of Hamburg will serve three years in a state prison and eight years probation.
Investigators say Farrara had sexual relationships with two girls in 2012 and 2014. This was after he was employed by the school.
Police described the girls as having been willing partners, but because Fararra was over 21 and they were under 17, they were incapable of giving consent according to the law, thus Ferarra was charged with 3rd degree rape.
"He's a creep. He's a 27-year-old trolling for teenage girls," said District Attorney Frank Sedita following the sentencing.
Fararra was the assistant wrestling coach for the Eden School District at the time, and got to know the girls through some of their male friends.
Our cameras were not allowed in court, but Farrara's mother wrote a letter on his behalf saying to the victim's parents, "You are ruining my son's life."
"Only person that ruined this young man's life.....by trolling teenage girls," Sedita said.
The judge spoke directly to Fararra and told him, quote, "You are the adult. You are the role model."
A family member of each of the girls read statements.
One victim's father said "you stole my daughters innocence," and went on the say Farrara abused his daughter for two years.
That father also said on the day of a plea in August that Fararra was supposed to show up to but never did, Fararra still sent a Snapchat to his daughter saying, "How could you do this to me?"
Sedita notes it's unique how much social media played a role in this case, including the public post on Twitter that helped the prosecution figure it all out.
It's a handle called WNY Confessions, or @716Confessions, and it gets a lot of teenagers anonymously sharing their sex lives.
The mother of the second victim explained she learned of their relationship when she found out her daughter was not with a friend on a camping trip but in fact in Saratoga with Fararra.
She immediately drove five hours to pick up her daughter, and asked Fararra to face her in person if he thought his action were just and right.
He did not, and she called him a coward.
Farrara said to the court, "No words can describe what I've done to the victims and their families...I hope they can move on."
