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A former Trimble County High School math teacher who wore women’s clothes while allegedly committing more than a dozen counts of sexual abuse in Oldham and Jefferson counties for groping the genitals of male victims at gas stations and other locations entered a plea deal last week in exchange for a 60-day jail sentence.
Michael Mascardo, 57, who lived in Crestwood at the time of his arrest, accepted an offer from the Commonwealth’s Attorney in district court, pleading guilty to all 10 counts of third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of harassment in Oldham County alone.
In exchange for that guilty plea, Mascardo receives 60-days in jail, according to District Judge Daniel Fendley.
Records obtained through a Freedom Of Information Act request from Trimble County Schools show that Mascardo joined the Trimble County High School staff as a math teacher at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. At the time of hiring, he was named Micaelo Balingit and had recently moved to the United States after teaching for 24 years at various schools in Ontario, Canada, according to hiring documents obtained via open records request.
In March 2015, Mascardo legally changed his name from Micaelo Balingit to Michael Mascardo, according to records from Trimble County Schools. At the end of 2014-2015 school year, he accepted a job beginning in fall 2015 as a math teacher with JCPS, where he is currently employed.
Mascardo also faced five counts of third-degree sexual abuse in Jefferson County for similar incidents, but only pled guilty to two counts and received a 90-day conditional sentence on March 9 of this year.
The Oldham County Sheriff’s Office first arrested Mascardo in January on a complaint warrant with four first-degree sexual abuse charges.
In that complaint, Officer Jeremiah Dowell with Oldham County Police Department stated that on Dec. 9 around 6 p.m., he received a report from a victim who claimed Mascardo “groped him in a sexual manner” at the Circle K gas station in Centerfield.
The victim told police that Mascardo approached his vehicle, presented a map and asked for directions. When the victim attempted to provide directions, Mascardo reached into the vehicle and groped his genitals, according to the complaint.
Further investigation revealed that three more male victims in the Buckner area reported an identical situation. Police obtained a license plate number from a previous report and located Mascardo.
The complaint described Mascardo as a “homosexual male attempting to appear female” who admitted to the acts, calling it a form of “flirting.” Mascardo also provided police with several items of female clothing, a red female wig and two maps, according to the complaint.
The story gained momentum through regional news outlets, prompting more victims to come forward with reports of near-identical groping incidents, resulting in the remaining charges in Oldham and Jefferson counties.
Mascardo taught at Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) as a math teacher during the time of the offenses.
JCPS Chief Communication Officer Carolyn Callahan confirmed in early February that Mascardo remained employed by the district pending the results of an internal investigation.
We will update this story with a confirmation of his current employment status.
Mascardo also held several teaching jobs before he landed at JCPS.
Records obtained through a Freedom Of Information Act request from Trimble County Schools show that Mascardo joined the Trimble County High School staff as a math teacher at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. At the time of hiring, he was named Micaelo Balingit and had recently moved to the United States after teaching for 24 years at various schools in Ontario, Canada, according to hiring documents obtained via open records request.
In March 2015, Mascardo legally changed his name from Micaelo Balingit to Michael Mascardo, according to records from Trimble County Schools. At the end of 2014-2015 school year, he accepted a job beginning in fall 2015 as a math teacher with JCPS.
