Married mum Brooke Lajiness confessed to sex with the boys in her car. Photo / Facebook
Married mum Brooke Lajiness confessed to sex with the boys in her car. Photo / Facebook
A married mother-of-two from Michigan has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for having sex with two teenage boys after luring them with naked photos on social media last summer.
Brooke Lajiness, 38, of Lima Township, learned her fate on Monday in a Washtenaw County courtroom, a little over a month after she pleaded guilty to two counts of having intercourse with a 14-year-old and one for having oral sex with a 15-year-old.
As part of the plea deal, Lajiness also admitted to accosting a child for immoral purposes and furnishing obscenity to children by sending nude photographs of herself to a minor, the Daily Mail reported.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss 10 other charges against the beauty salon worker, who will spend a minimum of four years and nine months behind bars, and up to 15 years, according to Ann Arbor News.
Before her sentencing, an emotional Lajiness read from a statement, calling what happened "the biggest regret of my life". She also said she caused her family "great pain" and was tormented by the thought that she will not be able to provide for her children while serving her sentence.
"I fear the toll this will take on my family in my absence," Lajiness stated, according to reporting by Fox 2 Detroit. "These last few months have been excruciating to watch the emotional affects this had on everyone around me."
Admission of guilty: Lajiness, pictured left in court in March, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of having intercourse with a 14-year-old and one for having oral sex with a 15-year-old. Photo / AP
The court also heard from the mother of the younger teen, whose victim impact statement was read aloud on her behalf, that her son is in therapy after suffering emotional and psychological damage as a result of Lajiness' conduct.
"Your actions will affect my son and his relationships with others for the rest of his life," she said.
Prosecutors asked the judge to hand Lajiness the harshest punishment available under the state sentencing guidelines, calling her a "predator".
Assistant county prosecutor John Vella said Lajiness' husband of 16 years, David, had written a letter to the judge suggesting that his wife's insomnia was to blame for her actions.
"Nobody's putting the blame on where it deserves: it was this defendant's actions that brought her here. It's this defendant that chose to have sex with minors," Vella said.
David Lajiness appeared in the courtroom to support his spouse during her sentencing on Monday.
Lajiness' defence attorney told the judge that his client has been struggling with mental health problems, but an expert has found that she was not a sexual predator and if she receives help, she is unlikely to re-offend in the future.
Lajiness has confessed to to two counts of having intercourse with the 14-year-old and one of having oral sex with the 15-year-old. Photo / Facebook
Instead of the stiffer sentence of 8-15 years requested by the prosecution, the judge sentenced her to 4-15 years, citing her psychological problems and lack of criminal record.
An investigation has revealed that most of Lajiness' sex sessions with the teenagers had taken place in the back seat of her car, which was parked in a driveway.
Lajiness reportedly seduced the younger boy, whom she admitted to having sex with as many as 15 times, by sending him nude selfies.
She was arrested after his mother complained that she was sleeping with her underage son.
In a Facebook post in May, Lajiness proclaimed her love for her husband David, saying: "In life, nothing is guaranteed.
"So finding someone who knows all of your flaws, weaknesses and mistakes and still thinks you're amazing is something to hold onto and never take for granted!"
Her affair with the younger boy began last summer, as he was graduating from middle school.
Michigan state police trooper Donald Pasternak testified that most of the sexual encounters happened in the back of Lajiness' car in a Lima Township driveway.
At her arraignment on March 3, Pasternak testified that he started investigating Lajiness a few weeks before, when the victim's mother walked into a police station and complained that Lajiness was having sex with her son.
Lajiness reportedly confessed later on to having sex with the teen and exchanging the nude pictures.
Police found that she started exchanging photos with the teen while he was still in middle school. She was facing an additional charge in relation to the photos.
