Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia Community College Math Teacher Cleared of All Charges in Sex Assault Case

Youssef Taleb is hoping to put the nightmare behind him

What to Know

  • All charges against former Northern Virginia Community College instructor Youssef Taleb have been cleared.
  • Taleb's attorney said there were red flags with the case immediately.
  • Prosecutors could not vouch for the credibility of the witnesses, and there were inconsistencies in their statements, an official said.

One day he was teaching community college classes. The next, he was jailed, accused of sexually assaulting two students. But now all charges against Youssef Taleb have been cleared -- even before a preliminary hearing -- and he's hoping to put the nightmare behind him.

Taleb had once hoped for a full-time position at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC). That dream was shattered when he was jailed in May, accused of sexually assaulting two of his female students.

"It was the worst time of my life," he told News4 on Thursday. "Yeah, I'd never faced anything like that before.... I always know that the truth is going to reveal itself as soon as the investigation would be over."

Taleb's attorney said there were red flags with the case immediately after two students said in early May that they'd been sexually assaulted.

A community college officer performed the original investigation, but when a Prince William County detective and the prosecutor began to dig into the details, concerns emerged. For example, one student alleged she was raped during a tutoring session inside a campus conference room.

"The most significant things seem to have occurred where the public either should have been able to see what was going on or could have stepped in at any point, and it just seemed to be very suspicious," said Taleb's attorney, Benjamin Griffitts.

Prosecutors quickly asked that Taleb be given bond.

The charges were dropped last month.

Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said prosecutors could not vouch for the credibility of the witnesses, and there were inconsistencies in their statements.

Taleb got emotional when he received the phone call telling him he was cleared of the charges.

"As soon as she said that [charges were dropped], I started crying, actually, and I don't cry much," Taleb said. "Actually that was the most wonderful day of my life. It's like a new life for me."

Now he's hoping a new headline -- reporting he's clear of charges -- will show up in social media searches of his name. He had five job offers pending when he was arrested, so he hopes to return to teaching.

"I love teaching," he said. "I don't think I'm going to give up on teaching ever."

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