Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - NJ 'Bad' Teacher Case Explodes With New Charges

Episode Date: June 27, 2026

Former New Jersey middle school teacher Ashley Fisler, 36, was already in jail on six counts of aggravated sexual assault. Now a grand jury has added six more charges — including manufacturing child sexual abuse material, possession of CSAM, and pattern of official misconduct. Prosecutors say she sexually abused a former student for years, starting when he was just 12. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy breaks down the new indictment in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guests:Rocco Cipparone https://www.youtube.com/@TheLegalLineJonna Spilbor https://www.instagram.com/jonna_spilbor/CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ashley Fisler. All right, then this is State, New Jersey versus Ashley Fisler. A teacher already in jail now facing disturbing new charges. Prosecutors say she targeted a student for years, starting when he was just 12 years old. And the text messages, they say, reveal a disturbing pattern of manipulation. I'll take you through the shocking details inside the new indictment and what her lawyer has to say about it. I'm Anjanette Levy, and this is crime fix. For years, Ashley Fisler spent her days in a middle school classroom teaching kids about social studies.

But prosecutors in New Jersey say that Fisler was using her classroom for much more than that. The now former teacher is accused of serious felony sex crimes involving a former student. And now she's facing even more charges. A grand jury in New Jersey has added six new counts to the case against Ashley Fisler. And some of them are first. degree felony sex crimes. According to a new indictment, those charges include manufacturing child sex abuse material. Fisler had initially been charged with six counts of aggravated sexual assault. Now, we covered this case when Ashley Fisler was first arrested, and we heard prosecutors lay out

what they say are years of text messages, those texts that they read are graphic, disturbing, and manipulative. And now prosecutors say, there's more. But let's go back to the very beginning. Vistler was a social studies teacher at Orchard Valley Middle School in Gloucester County, New Jersey. According to the school district, she taught there for nine years and left in April of 2023. But according to investigators, the abuse they're looking at started years before that back in 2021, when the victim was 13 years old and a student in her class. According to the original complaint, the victim who's now an adult came forward in January of 26 just this year. Investigators say the accuser told them that Fisler sexually abused him multiple

times. Some incidents, he said, happened in her car, others in her classroom. The same classroom were back in 2018, her husband got down on one knee and proposed. The very classroom prosecutors now say she used to sexually assault that student. According to a probable cause affidavit, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, high-tech crimes unit, assisted with the investigation, conducting a forensic analysis of the victim's digital devices. Investigators pulled his phone and, according to court documents, found years of text messages between him and Fisler, along with nude photos of her that she had sent to him. Fisler was arrested in March of 26.

She's been in jail ever since. Back in April, she was actually in court for a detention hearing. and the prosecutor laid out stunning claims of evidence. The prosecutor told the judge there were 7,500 pages of text messages between Fisler and the victim, and that the messages in the state's view showed a pattern of manipulation that started when the victim was 12. Your Honor, this was more than just six isolated and aberrant acts of sexual abuse against a minor. This was a pattern of six years of grooming, manipulative, and abuse by this defendant as a middle school teacher against one of her active and then

former students. In a text message conversation that occurred on August 9th of 2023, the defendant is reminiscing with the victim about when the victim was in middle school, specifically a time that the victim came to her classroom on her prep period, and the defendant made out with the victim and that they were grinding. This is stated by the victim in his statement to police, But according to prosecutors, it didn't stop after they say the physical abuse ended. The sexually charged texting, they say, continued for years even after Fisler left the school. In one exchange, prosecutors say Fistler offered to shave the teen's genital area. In another, she offered to buy him a sex toy.

In December of 2023, the victim confides in the defendant that he's struggling in school because he's getting more frequently in school. And the defendant's response was, quote, Oh my God, that's fantastic. End quote. She offers that same month to shave the victim's. And just a few months later, in February of 2024, she offers to buy the victim a sex toy. The prosecutor also read texts where the victim told Fisler,

I've had to try really hard to rebuild the things that you broke inside of me. You destroyed things inside of me. You strip me of my innocence. And Fisler responded, according to prosecutors, I feel like I forced you to grow up abnormally quick. But the defense attorney argued the prosecution was taking those texts out of context. The selective, salacious texts that were recited by the prosecution lacked context. Obviously, I'm not here to try the case at this stage, but I can tell the court that many of those texts that were cited are out of context and without full airing of what preceding.

of what proceeded and came after it. Now, Ashley Fistler's lawyer, Rocco Siparon, will join me momentarily to discuss the case. The judge ordered Fisler detained, meaning she would stay in jail pending trial after finding that Fisler posed a danger to the community. She has remained in jail ever since. Now a grand jury has added those six additional charges, and that's according to what's in the new indictment that we have in our hands. Count eight.

Pattern of official misconduct, a felony of the second degree. Prosecutors say Fisler, a public school teacher, committed two or more acts relating to her office, but constituting an unauthorized exercise of her official functions. Count nine. Manufacturing child sex abuse material, a felony of the first degree. Now, this is significant. The indictment alleges that between May of 2023 and April of 2025, Fisler knowingly caused or permitted a child to engage in prohibited sexual acts that may have been photographed or filmed. The indictment alleges this happened between May 2023 and April 2025. That's well after police say the physical abuse stopped.

According to prosecutors, the victim was 15, 16, and 17 years old during that period. Count 10. Possession of child sex abuse material. That's a felony of the third degree. Prosecutors say Fisler knowingly possessed or controlled less than a thousand items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child. Count 11. Distribution of obscenity to a minor.

A third degree felony. The indictment alleges that between August of 2021 and August 2022, Fisler knowingly sold, distributed, rented, or exhibited obscene material to a person under 18. And finally, count 12, endangering the welfare of a child. That's a felony of the second degree. This charge alleges that Fisler, having a legal duty for the care of the victim, engaged in sexual conduct, which would impair or debauch the morals of a child. According to prosecutors, the investigation is still ongoing with at least one other family reporting inappropriate communications from Fisler to another student.

So to talk a little bit about where this case goes from here, I want to bring in Rocco Ciperone. He is representing Ashley Fistler. So Rocco, thanks so much for coming on. I really appreciate it. Good to be with you. Rocco, where does this case go from here? I mean, your client was already, you know, in the soup.

She was facing very serious charges and now she's facing even more charges. Yeah, we're really at the very beginning stages, right? an indictment was just returned the other day. That's a necessary step in the process. That starts to move the case forward. But so far, the evidence is untested, unchallenged. When an indictment gets returned, everybody's got to remember. That's a one-sided process.

The prosecutor appears. There's no defense. I'm not allowed in that room. I can't cross-examine witnesses. I can't challenge evidence. There's not even a judge in the room. And the burden of proof in a grand jury is very, very low. It's probable cause.

It's nowhere near beyond the reason. reasonable doubt. So we're at an early stage in the process. Even though the headlines or the press released by the state suggests this is a major development, it's simply a necessary procedural step. You know, we saw the hearing back in April where there was a lot of evidence discussed, a lot of text messages, photos, you know, this kid is telling her, you know, you basically destroyed my life. She is saying that she forced him to grow up. There's talk about, you know, you know, lots of sex stuff, all this stuff back and forth. I know you're saying the evidence is untested, but the judge, he felt that your client should

not be released on bail. I mean, so she's still sitting in jail. So, I mean, how common is that that on a case like this, that they wouldn't at least let her out on GPS monitoring in your experience? I mean, you used to be a prosecutor. Yeah, I was a federal prosecutor. And for example, in the federal system, which the New Jersey bail statute is now modeled after, a lot of people are held without bail, notwithstanding.

the presumption of innocence, notwithstanding that the evidence is untested. Because remember, at a detention hearing or a bail hearing, like the one that we had for Ms. Fisler, it's, again, untested evidence. The prosecution loads it up with what it thinks is the best, most salacious evidence. I didn't get much of a chance to see that or challenge that. I got it roughly not even a day before the hearing. So they're quick hit things, and a judge made a decision that he thought was right based on what was available to him.

I frankly, respectfully to the judge disagree with that. We appealed. but nonetheless she's held without bail. But that doesn't stop the preparation of a defense. And it doesn't change that she's presumed innocent. Do you have the discovery now? No, I don't. So now that there's been an indictment, I'm entitled to full discovery.

I'll receive that over the next coming weeks or month or so. But up until now, I have not been entitled to the full-blown discovery, nor have I received it. But that's the next step. So you haven't started really preparing a defense yet because you haven't reviewed the evidence? I wouldn't say we haven't started preparing a defense. right? I always from day one start thinking about what the defense would look like. I obviously consult with the client and discuss things that the client knows about the situation. No, I've started

preparing a defense, even based on a limited information available. Now, that defense may change or be, you know, basically refined as we progress and I get more information. But you start preparing into defense. The day you're hired is the way I operate anyway. I mean, it looks like there's some bad facts on your client's side. I know that you are limited in what you can say because the case is pending. And, you know, defense attorneys don't typically like to try their cases in the media. But, you know, this has been discussed in open court. We've aired it here on law and crime, you know, the hearing and everything. But, I mean, there's some really salacious texts here. So could one of your defenses be that this was all, this was all texting? And now that is part of the

allegations that there was, you know, sharing of information over text. So I won't forecast the specific defenses in this case because I don't think that would be proper. But I'll say anytime you're looking at a case like this, you look at, is this, for lack of a better term, just sexting versus does it reveal action? That's one of the things you always contemplate. You know, you look at the viability of that defense. Look, I can read those text messages that you've seen and that were aired, so to speak, at the detention hearing, I'm not going to say that they're all pretty texts or good for the defense, right? But they're not in context yet. So even I don't know the full context of those things. I'm looking forward to getting the full context to assessing what the best defense and the best

course of action for my client is in consultation with error. But it's too early for me to really do that in any detail and definitely too early for me to put that out in the media. What's important to note is, and the state does this all the time, they put out, as you referenced, a moment ago, salacious details that causes people sometimes the rusted judgment. And I always say to people, whether it's at a cocktail party, a wedding when I'm sitting next to someone who says, you know, you were a prosecutor or a defense lawyer, how do you view this? I say, look, if it was your mother, your father, your sister, your kid, or you, how would you want the public to view it? You'd want them the reserve judgment, wait until we can get into courtroom and air out all the facts and then

make an informed decision based on evidence, not allegations. And that's where we are here, allegations. So your client's been in jail now for a couple months, almost three months. How is she doing? She's adjusting as well as she can to the circumstances. I've never had a client yet in 37 years, either as a federal prosecutor or a defense lawyer that likes jail or loves jail, right? Nobody likes it. She's also presumed innocent. So it's a struggle to adapt, but to her credit, she's adapting very well. She's handling it emotionally. And she's working with me. to assess her defenses and deal with the case. So as far as client adjustment goes,

she's adjusting as well as she can in the circumstances. It's not fun to be there. She's apart from her family. She's apart from her life. That's, you know, a major adjustment for anybody, right? One day you're free. Next day you're in handcuffs and you're not convicted of anything. But she's doing as well as anybody I could expect to do in the circumstances.

She's married. Is her husband standing by her? Because, I mean, it's, it seemed like, you know, he's down on one knee in the classroom proposing marriage to her and they were married. They are married. Are they still married? Is he standing by her? They are still married. No one's filed for divorce. I don't feel inappropriate for me to comment more on her personal circumstances, but they're still married. As far as I understand that he is still sticking by her. But I'm not going to comment beyond that in terms of their personal relationship.

Sure, sure. So when is her next court date? Because, you know, she'll have to be arraigned on the charges in the indictment. Correct. I haven't been notified yet of when the court scheduled the arraignment. That'll usually happen within a couple weeks of the indictment being filed, which was a couple of days ago, but I have not yet gotten notice of the next court date. The prosecutor indicated at that hearing that maybe there was, you know, another student possibly coming forward. Have you gotten any indication of that? I've seen no indication of that. I've gotten no indication of that. I know the prosecutor at the detention hearing to some sense suggested that. I've not seen one iota of evidence that would suggest there was any alleged inappropriate sexual communications or contact with another

student. So I'm optimistic that that's not going to happen. And as of now, I've not seen any information to suggest otherwise. Well, we will keep an eye on it. Rocco Ciperone. Thank you so much for your time and for coming on. We appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Great to talk with you. I want to turn now to Jonas Spillbore. She's a defense attorney. And also, the co-host of the podcast positively legal on MK True Crime. She hosts that with Mark Eglarsh. So check that out. Jana, I want to get your take on this case so far.

Ashley Fisler is now facing 12 counts related to these allegations that she, you know, basically molested this student for a really long time. The allegations are really disgusting. Really disgusting for a number of reasons. This was a young victim. Obviously, she's in a position of power as a teacher back then. She no longer is now. But wow.

The thing that strikes me, look, we have seen this before, right? Mary Kay LaTerno, Deborah LaFa. Like, we've seen this type of behavior before. But apparently what is seemingly sinking this for this defendant is there was a lot of text exchanges, which will help to support the charge that there was. actual physical conduct, actual sexual abuse. Because think about this, Angenet, without that. You could have anybody, you could have any kids say, hey, you know what, a few years ago, my teacher, you know, had sex with me in her car in the parking lot. Okay. Right. At that point,

it's the victim's word against the teacher's word. But when you add in the extraneous evidence that there was a relationship and it was not a normal teacher-student relationship, not by a long shot. That actually corroborates what this kid is saying. This is going to be a tough row to hoe for this defendant. It seems like it. And, you know, we've heard from her defense attorney who wants everybody to keep an open mind. And of course, everybody should keep an open mind. But, you know, it seems like there's definitely a lot of smoke there. A lot of smoke. But I have to say something, you know, when I watched the bail hearing proceeding, and I both sides scored points. I'll tell you what I liked and I didn't like about that.

So just so that our viewers have some context, obviously when somebody gets arrested for any crime and they're initially sitting behind bars, there's an opportunity to argue for bail. Can she be released while these charges are pending? And so the prosecution made her pitch and her defense attorney made his pitch. And here's what I didn't like about it.

Obviously, the prosecution has a lot of ammunition and a lot of evidence that there was a text exchange between these two people, the victim and the defendant. But the prosecution also went into a lot of what we call uncharged incidents, uncharged acts, almost as if she were trying the case. And she did this to try to persuade the judge that, look, not only are we charging her with these crimes, but she's got a propensity to do this again if we let her out on bail or she's got a propensity to try to reach out to this particular victim again if we let her out on bail. And all of

these uncharged crimes are uncharged for a reason why, usually because there's not enough proof behind them to actually get a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. So I thought it was a little unfair that the prosecution was allowed to bring in, you know, incident after incident after incident that will probably never see the light of day on an indictment. That said, you turn now to her defense attorney who did a pretty good job trying to explain some of that And correct me if I'm wrong. Tell me how you read this. I feel like the defense right now is trying to turn this ship into a, hey, this defendant

didn't have actual physical conduct with this child. What they had was a sexting relationship, which would be different, may not even be criminal. And I feel like that's the direction that this case might go. Did you get the same sense? I feel like that may be where they're going with this whole thing. and we'll see if it works. We'll see if it works. You know, the prosecution, of course, we'll push back on that and say, look, we have somebody,

we have a witness who's, you know, a victim, an accuser, a witness who's pretty rock solid. And we can prove this case because of X, Y, and Z. But I think that I think that's probably the defense that they have to go with. Don't you think so? Yeah. Look, this is a really tough case. It's not normal. Let's just face facts. The text that we, that are available between this adult teacher and a teenage student, that's not normal under any circumstances. Sexting a teenager is not

normal. So where there's smoke, there's fire most likely. And that's not a big leap for a jury. You know that. I know that. So if the defense is going to be, look, she sexted with this teenage boy while she was a teacher at the school, but she didn't take it. physically, I don't know if we're going to have 12 people who are going to buy that. I just don't. Well, we're going to have to wait and see how it pans out and what defense they go with because it's the ick factor on this one is really high. All of these cases involving allegations of sex with teachers are really abhorrent. And this involves an allegation with one student, one former student now. So I'll be interested to see if anything more comes from this, if any other former students come forward.

Already we have a hint that this defendant is, you know, obviously we know from these charges that she's not maybe the most stellar person, but also there are allegations that she's married and she cheats on her husband all the time. And this is just like part of what she does. So she's not going to be a likable defendant, not that anybody who ever molested child ever would be. But, you know, sometimes if you can explain one single incident of aberrant behavior, you might have a little bit of sympathy that you can garner with a jury. I don't see that happening in this case, not by a long shot. We'll see what happens. John is spillboard.

Thank you so much. Good to see you. Thanks. Ashley Fisler remains behind bars. She's in jail, awaiting trial. And we'll keep an eye on this case and let you know what happens. That's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy.

Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.