WALLINGFORD — A local mariachi teacher accused of sexually abusing two boys in Connecticut was convicted of having sexual contact with a teenage student more than a decade ago through a high school music program in Nevada, according to court documents.
Adam Romo, 37, of Portland, was arrested March 17 and charged with two counts second-degree sexual assault, two-counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and six counts risk of injury to a child.
The warrant for Romo’s arrest alleges he began sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy who attended a mariachi music program he founded in summer 2021. The warrant also alleges Romo may have sexually abused another minor, a case the warrant stated is under investigation by police in Portland.
Romo, who was arraigned Friday in state Superior Court in Meriden and is free on $50,000 bond, declined to comment when reached by phone. He’s scheduled to return to court on May 25.
“The case has just begun and my client and I need to review the documentation we’ll be receiving from the state. Romo’s attorney, Salvatore Bonanno, said. “As the case proceeds, we’ll take it one step at a time to determine what the best course of action is.”
During the investigation, “numerous other incidents were discovered where Romo made sexual advances on other students,” police said in a statement this week announcing the arrest.
In December 2010, police in Las Vegas charged Romo with sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old student while he was a high school mariachi music teacher, according to the arrest warrant.
“Romo was teaching a high school, mariachi music program and had sexual contact with a 17-year-old student,” the warrant stated.
Court records from the Nevada case were not immediately available. The Clark County court website indicates Romo pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to sexual conduct with a minor by a school employee on July 7, 2011.
Romo, then 26, allegedly had sexual contact with a student who was spending the night at his home, the Las Vegas Sun reported. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Romo was sentenced to three years of probation in November 2011.
Romo’s name does not appear in either the Connecticut or Nevada sex offender registries.
In January, Wallingford police conducted an initial interview with the 15-year-old’s family. The boy’s sister told the investigating detective that her brother said he was being sexually assaulted by Romo, his mariachi music teacher, the warrant stated. Romo was described in the warrant as the founder, director and teacher at the Mariachi Academy in Wallingford.
The boy told police Romo had been his teacher for several years, but “things started to get different around the summer of 2021,” the warrant stated.
The youth told police Romo began “tickling” him, which led to groping, the warrant stated. Romo also referred to himself as the boy’s “Sugar Daddy,” and gave him nicknames, which made him “feel uncomfortable,” the warrant stated.
Romo also sent the boy naked photos of himself, purchased him sex toys and offered him marijuana edibles, according to the warrant.
The boy recounted two episodes to police in which Romo allegedly sexually assaulted him while they were alone together in a car, the warrant stated. He told police Romo also watched him have sex with another youth in August 2021 at Romo’s home in Portland, according to the warrant.
The other boy later told police Romo had sexually assaulted both of them during the encounter, according to the warrant. The filing stated that Portland police are handling that part of the investigation.
During the investigation, Romo’s attorney told police his client would not provide a statement, the warrant stated.
A woman who was a music student at the academy told police she witnessed Romo touching some of the boys’ chests, the warrant stated. Another female student at the academy who works as a teacher told police she also observed Romo touching boys’ chests and slapping them on the buttocks during practice, the warrant stated.
The woman told police students had been quitting “because of Adam’s inappropriate behavior,” according to the warrant.
The Spanish Community of Wallingford, a community organization, said Romo briefly volunteered in its music program in 2016, but moved on to start his own nonprofit.
“We were recently made aware that an incident occurred between Mr. Romo and one of his students. We immediately contacted the Wallingford Police Department to report the incident,” the organization said in a statement.
“The well-being of every member of our community has always been and will always remain our main priority at the Spanish Community of Wallingford,” the statement continued.