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PHOENIX (AP) — A Phoenix-area middle school teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted child molestation and luring a student for sexual acts.
Maricopa County prosecutors say 62-year-old James William Giannopoulos also was sentenced Wednesday to lifetime probation.
Giannopoulos taught at Kyrene Centennial Middle School in Ahwatukee and had been with the Kyrene district since 1987.
He was arrested in March 2014 after another teacher reported an inappropriate relationship between Giannopoulos and a 15-year-old former female student.
School officials put Giannopoulos on administrative leave before he was arrested.
Prior to sentencing, prosecutors read emails exchanged between Giannopoulos and the girl that made it clear they engaged in sex acts on at least two occasions.
Giannopoulos apologized to the girl's family in court and accepted full responsibility for his actions.
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