Pennsylvania Counselor Arrested for Attempting to Lure 16-Year-Old into Sexual Relationship

Emily Feeney is free on $75,000 bail after charges of Institutional Sexual Assault, Corruption of a Minor, Unlawful Contact with a Minor and Indecent Assault after a Chester County investigation.
Emily Feeney is free on $75,000 bail after charges of Institutional Sexual Assault, Corruption of a Minor, Unlawful Contact with a Minor and Indecent Assault after a Chester County investigation.

A 40-year-old college counselor at Pennsylvania’s Malvern Prep School has lost her job and has been charged with Institutional Sexual Assault, Corruption of a Minor, Unlawful Contact with a Minor and Indecent Assault, after trying to seduce a 16-year-old teen into a sexual relationship beginning in 2014.

During the summer of 2014, 40-year-old Emily Feeney, working as the director of College Counseling at the prep school, began sending sexual texts and photos, including one where she posed topless to the teen. 

The Chester County Detective Child Abuse Unit opened an investigation into the alleged crimes on May 13th, 2015, after receiving a report of child abuse, from the Chester County Department of Children, Youth and Families.

During their investigation, detectives uncovered hundreds of emails exchanged between the student and the counselor. 

The seduction of the teen began with emails in the early summer of 2014, authorities in Pennsylvania say. The teen responded to her email advances, and he told her,  “I’m not interested in you end of story I’m 16 i’m not into you.” Yet she continued to pursue him with offers of getting him into Harvard, the Ivy League school she graduated from in 1997. 

Less than two weeks later, Feeney wrote to the teen and said, “Girls will come and go (and it sounds like this one won’t be doing much coming but that’s your problem) but friends do not. You can’t ignore and screw over friends for a girl, or a swim meet or anything else. You’ve done that repeatedly to me and I’ve had enough, I don’t need it.”

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In July, Feeney sent the teen an email that she said was from Harvard that stated that the teen was at “the top of our list” and told him, “you…owe me big time. And no high fives.” Harvard has yet to authenticate any communication regarding that.

Just over two weeks later in August, Feeney wrote to the teen and asked if she could have a hug the next time they saw each other, he replied “sure” to which she asked, “How far can I push that?”

The emails continued, detectives in the case listed various emails from the month of January in the complaint:

“Obviously this is very emotional for me, and I feel raw.”

” I’d like to get to a point where it’s at least not awkward.”

” I miss you! I don’t want it to be this way forever.”

” To not say hello when we pass is not right.”

” I adore you – always have, always will.”

” You are gorgeous and this is killing me. Please talk to me.”

“If you don’t respond to me in another week, I will pull you aside.”

” I know you don’t want me calling you into my office.”

” You can either start talking to me again and respond to me, or we can discuss it in my office Monday. If you ever cared about me, please don’t shut me out. It’s too painful.”

” If you’d… Just stop fighting and let it happen, he’d be a lot less uptight and much happier.”

Feeney, a Harvard grad, who has a Masters from Columbia University, is free on $75,000 bail and is scheduled for a September 2nd preliminary hearing.

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