The daughter of a "cheer mom" who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old made a heartbreaking plea to the judge during the sentencing.
Leann Yammarino, 45, pleaded no contest to two counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, following a disturbing pattern of abuse that involved sending explicit messages to at least five teenagers aged 14 to 16.
Her daughter, who once shared a cheerleading squad with some of the victims, stood before Judge Keyojuan Gant-Turner on Tuesday and pleaded for the judge to hand down the harshest punishment possible.
Leann Yammarrino was sentenced to prison. Credit: Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office
Judge Selivers Maximum Sentence After Courtroom Plea
Yammarino sobbed throughout her sentencing, bowing her head and appearing red-faced and tearful. But the judge sided with the teen’s emotional plea, sentencing the mother to 26 years behind bars.
Upon release, if she lives to see it, Yammarino will be over 70 and must register as a sex offender for life.
Ascension District Attorney Ricky Babin told WBRZ 2 that the punishment fits the seriousness of the offenses.
"Her victims are minors, and it's multiple counts. It wasn't an isolated incident, so yes. In my opinion, she is," he said.
Babin added that this case is unique because the sex offender is a married mother of a teen, and was highly involved in extracurricular activities at Dutchtown.
"Unfortunately, having sexual contact with minors is way more common than you would think, so as far as the crime itself, it's not uncommon.
"I guess the number [of victims] and some of the facts that you've outlined before - the type of person this is - that would be unusual," he added.
Yammarino, 44, pleaded no contest to two counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. Credit: Ftwitty/Getty
The 44-year-old had been heavily involved with her daughter’s cheer team at Dutchtown High School and had been behind bars since her July 2024 arrest.
According to The New York Post, the case first came to light when a 14-year-old student accused the mom of having sex with him twice.
After that, five more teenage boys came forward, with one 15-year-old claiming he had sex with her in her vehicle.
“The 15-year-old also showed his mother an explicit photo of Leeann, which he stated Leeann sent to him over the social media platform of Snapchat,” according to the arrest affidavits obtained by PEOPLE.
“This photo depicted a white female lying in a bathtub from her belly button up to her facial area depicting Leeann’s face with both her breasts exposed along with Leeann’s face," they added.
The outlet reported that at the residence, police spoke with three other male juveniles who said they had received nude photos and videos from Yammarino.
Two more boys gave similar statements in August 2024.