Former Riverdale teacher convicted of rape

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A jury found a former Riverdale Country School (RCS) math teacher guilty of the statutory rape of his former student on Feb. 27. 

Richard Hovan, 33, was charged with five counts of rape in the third degree, three counts of criminal sexual acts in the third degree and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. 

“Each day we send our children to school, trusting that they are safe from harm in the care of their teachers,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said in a statement. “Richard Hovan utterly betrayed that trust by abusing his position of power and engaging in a sexual relationship with a student.” 

Mr. Hovan was arrested in April 2012 when e-mail, texts and phone calls surfaced suggesting he had carried out a sexual relationship with one of his students at RCS in 2011. The victim was 16 at the time. 

After conducting its own investigation, the school fired Mr. Hovan that June. 

The victim, whose name has not been released, testified on Feb. 19 that Mr. Hovan pursued her for several months after her 16th birthday. 

Though Mr. Hovan was engaged at the time, the victim testified that he invited her to his apartment in Manhattan to “make pizza and watch TV.” 

Instead, he initiated a sexual relationship with the girl that continued for several months, until his fiancé found out about the girl. 

On Monday, Mr. Hovan’s attorney Vinoo Varghese said Mr. Hovan will appeal the conviction. 

“Richard is innocent. The jury got it wrong,” he said in an e-mail. 

During his trial, Mr. Hovan maintained the RCS student had “emotional problems,” and that his communication with her was an attempt to help. He denied having a sexual relationship with the student. 

The Press previously reported that Mr. Hovan worked at Buckley School in Manhattan and Westtown School in Pennsylvania before he was hired by RCS in 2010.

He taught physics, geometry and calculus on the campus, along with coaching soccer and basketball. 

At the time of the arrest, RCS Head of School Dominic Randolph released a statement saying he was “deeply saddened” by the incident. 

“Throughout this year-long process, we have attempted to address the situation in a way that protects the affected family and our students as well as discharging our broader obligations,” he wrote. 

The Manhattan DA said Mr. Hovan is expected to be sentenced on Tuesday, March 24. 

Riverdale Country School, Richard Hovan, statutory rape, Dominic Randolph, Vinoo Varghese, Maya Rajamani