A former substitute teacher in Washington state was sentenced to prison for sexually exploiting a 13-year-old boy, according to federal prosecutors.

The United States Justice Department for the Eastern District of Washington released a statement late last month announcing that 26-year-old Andrea Lee Campos-Hernandez had been sentenced to 180 months in prison after being convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor.

'Today I am speaking because you no longer get to control my voice.'

United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice also ordered a 10-year period of supervised release following the prison sentence. Additionally, the judge imposed a $10,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act and a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

Campos-Hernandez entered her federal guilty plea in May 2026.

According to the New York Post, the victim addressed Campos-Hernandez in the courtroom before sentencing: "You took away parts of my childhood that I will never get back."

The victim also told Campos-Hernandez, "Today I am speaking because you no longer get to control my voice."

The mother of the victim told the judge, "One of the most painful memories I carry is hearing my son cry alone in his room in the middle of the night."

"I did not know what was going through his mind or how deeply he was hurting because he could not bring himself to talk about it," the mother added in court.

The victim's sister urged the court to impose a sentence that "sends a clear message that every child deserves the same protection, compassion, and justice, regardless of the gender of the victim or offender."

Assistant United States Attorney Ann T. Wick said gender shouldn't matter in sentencing, and Campos-Hernandez should be treated like any other sex offender.

"Like any male offender, defendant demonstrated a sexual interest in a 13-year-old victim and pursued him," Wick said, according to the Tri-City Herald. "Like any male offender, she manipulated the victim."

First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano stated, "Although not seen as often, female sexual offenders exist, and justice demands they be treated the same as their male counterparts."

Serrano added, "The sentence imposed in this case sends a clear message to anyone seeking to harm the children of our community."

Prosecutors said Campos-Hernandez took advantage of her position of trust and friendship with the victim's family.

"As a teacher, every family entrusted their children to Ms. Campos-Hernandez," Serrano said. "Her violation of that sacred trust extended by each family and each student places her victimization on another level."

According to W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office, "Andrea Lee Campos-Hernandez violated her responsibility to protect and enrich this young person by taking advantage of both her position of trust and a family friendship to inflict lasting harm on a child."

"As children return to school, we are especially reminded what a consequential role teachers play in the lives of students," Herrington said.

Herrington commended the victim for having the "courage" to tell his story.

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The Columbia Basin Herald obtained a probable cause statement from the Warden Police Department that said Campos-Hernandez worked in the GEAR UP program at Warden High School during the 2021-22 school year and was a substitute teacher in the Warden School District during March, April, and June of 2022.

According to court documents, Campos-Hernandez sexually abused a 13-year-old boy from February 2021 to July 2022.

"Campos-Hernandez took pictures and recorded video of the two of them engaged in sexual intercourse and sent the minor victim pictures of herself partially nude and in underwear," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington.

Citing court documents, the Columbia Basin Herald reported that a search warrant was served on Campos-Hernandez's cell phone in March 2023, and "investigators reported finding sexually explicit photographs and other evidence documenting the abuse."

According to the New York Post, Assistant U.S Attorney Wick wrote in court documents that the victim's classmates and teammates learned about the abuse and then made the boy "the subject of gossip and poor, insensitive humor."

Wick added that the boy avoided socializing as a result.

Campos-Hernandez was arrested on March 6, 2023. At the time of her arrest, Campos-Hernandez was working as a child care provider at Big Bend Community College's Learning Center in Moses Lake, police said.

The Tri-City Herald reported that Campos-Hernandez's defense attorney Lorinda Meier Youngcourt said in a court document that in the small town of Warden, it's not unusual for adolescents and young adults to socialize together — but that her client "blurred the norms of age-appropriate relationships."

Youngcourt noted that a psychological evaluation concluded Campos-Hernandez’s actions did not stem from a predatory compulsion or a deviant sexual interest in children. Instead, the report highlighted her social immaturity, low self-esteem, and a fundamentally distorted perception of her "relationship" with the boy.

Warden School District Human Resources Director Michele Cram declined to comment on the case, and Warden School District Superintendent Marc Brouillet did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Columbia Basin Herald.

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