ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A former Schenectady-area teacher was sentenced to 19 years in prison on Thursday after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a victim under 16. Kristin Hiltunen, 37, pleaded guilty in August 2022.

Law enforcement says as part of her guilty plea, Hiltunen admitted that between April 2021 and August 2021, she had engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor under 16. During this time, Hiltunen exchanged thousands of messages with the victim over social media in which she persuaded, induced, and enticed the victim to take sexually explicit images of themselves and send them to her. The Department of Justice also says she engaged in live-stream video chats with the victim where they engaged in sexual acts.

The judge imposed a 20-year term of supervised release to begin once Hiltunen is released from prison. She will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of this conviction.