TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida teen’s former teacher is facing federal charges after officials found more than two dozen videos of the two engaging in sex acts on the teen’s phone, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The victim’s parents notified the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in September 2023 that their son had a sexual relationship with his former teacher, Marie-Jo Gordo, according to the complaint.
The parents turned over their son’s phone, which contained 28 videos allegedly depicting their son and Gordo engaging in sexual activity. The videos were timestamped and were taken at various locations in Seminole and Orange counties, according to the complaint. At least one of the videos appeared to be filmed in a hotel room near Universal Studios.
Based on what is seen in the videos, federal prosecutors believe Gordo was the person who set the phone up and started the recordings. Some of the videos were believed to have been filmed on different devices and sent to the teen.
In an interview with a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children detective, the teen confirmed the sexual relationship with Gordo, who was his 8th grade teacher in 2019 at an unnamed school. Gordo was also his “religious ambassador” at the same school, according to the complaint.
The complaint shows Gordo resigned from that school in June and became an art teacher at a different undisclosed school. It’s unclear if Gordo is still teaching.
Gordo is facing three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to an indictment filed on Wednesday.
