Former 'Teacher of the Year' sentenced for grooming boys with gifts, food, and 'special attention'

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (TCN) -- A former teacher of the year will spend decades behind bars for sexually abusing two students.

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced May 8 that 36-year-old Jacqueline Ma received a sentence of 30 years to life in prison after pleading guilty in February to two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, one count of lewd act on a child, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, including allegations of substantial sexual conduct and having multiple victims.

The mother of one of the victims contacted National City Police in March 2023 after she discovered inappropriate messages on a family tablet between her son and Ma, who had previously won San Diego County Teacher of the Year and worked at Lincoln Acres Elementary School. According to prosecutors, Ma had "groomed the minor for over a year before performing sexual acts on him when he was 12."

The victim wasn't allowed to have social media or his own electronics. However, the district attorney's office said Ma created an unapproved afterschool program to gain access to the boy and instructed him to communicate through a school chat application.

Ma reportedly performed sex acts on the child in her classroom when his parents thought he was in an afterschool basketball program. The abuse continued for approximately three months.

Upon further investigation, authorities learned Ma "had targeted and sexually assaulted another student in 2020." The second victim was 11 years old at the time.

According to prosecutors, Ma "had been grooming young boys with gifts, food, and special attention and even completed their homework for them." She gained their parents' trust with her "reputation and personal investment in their academic development."

In a statement, Stephan said, "Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects, and her 30-year sentence is appropriate. No child deserves what this defendant did, and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families, and the community that was left reeling from this defendant’s crimes."

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