No Jail Time For Morris Principal That Sexted Ex-Student: Report

DENVILLE, NJ — A former Denville principal who was accused of sexting a former student has been sentenced to probation, reports say.

Paul Iantosca, 52, from Randolph, pleaded guilty to one child abuse charge, as part of a plea deal that saw attempted luring and attempted sexual assault charges get dropped. He had faced up to 18 months in jail, but was sentenced to two years of probation, nj.com reported. He must also forfeit his teaching and principal certificates; his lawyer told the court that Iantosca had already filed retirement papers.

The former principal of Valleyview Middle School in Denville admitting to sending sexual messages over Snapchat to a 16-year-old boy, despite knowing the boy was underage. Iantosca had arranged to meet up with the teen for oral sex, but the teen never showed up; instead, police arrived and arrested Iantosca.

"There's nothing I can say that can un-ring the proverbial bell. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to the victim, I'm sorry to the victim's family, I'm sorry to my family and the district and what I put everybody through," the Daily Record reported Iantosca as saying in court on Friday.

In a statement, the victim's mother called the messages Iantosca sent "disgusting."

"You were a principal in the Denville middle school who was put there, above all other things, to protect our children. In the end, my son had to be the grown up and he was the one who ended up protecting everyone from you," the mother said, nj.com reported.

Iantosca worked in Denville for over 20 years. He was making just over $158,000 at the time of his resignation.