Former Baltimore Teacher Receives Maximum Penalty For Student Sex Abuse

BALTIMORE, MD — A former Baltimore City Public Schools teacher was sentenced Monday to 55 years in prison, the maximum penalty allowed, after being found guilty of sexual abusing a minor. The victim had told police she had been abused for five years.

Mustafa Pitts, 48, was found guilty on July 16 of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, and faced a total penalty of 55 years in prison, the state's attorney said previously.

Pitts previously taught at the REACH! Partnership School in Northeast Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun reported.

He was arrested in February 2024 after the victim told a police officer about the assault, prosecutors said. The girl told investigators the abuse continued for about five years.

On Feb. 3, 2024, Baltimore Police responded to reports of a sexual assault at the 100 block of West 27th Street. A witness reported that Pitts had sexually assaulted an underage victim that morning between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.

The victim told police that Pitts told her to come to his room and take her clothes off before assaulting her. She reported that he had been doing this for the past five years.

Pitts was suspended from the school system immediately after his arrest, the Sun said.

“This case represents one of the most devastating breaches of trust imaginable — the exploitation and abuse of a child,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates in a statement after Pitts' conviction. “My office will always seek justice and advocate for the most vulnerable victims in Baltimore. I am grateful to the jury for holding this heinous perpetrator accountable.”