Former Iowa City schools paraeducator convicted of sex exploitation of student

IOWA CITY — A former paraeducator at West High School who pursued a sexual relationship with a student pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation by a school employee and faces up to five years in prison.

Joel Seve Munzila, 22, admitted in a written plea last week to engaging in a pattern of sexual contact with a student from Sept. 1, through Oct. 18, 2023. Sexual exploitation is a Class D felony and he faces up to five years in prison but will ask the court for a deferred judgment and probation.

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The prosecution will argue for a prison term, according to the Johnson County Attorney’s Office.

At sentencing, a judge also will order Munzila to serve a special sentence of 10 years of parole following the prison term or probation.

His sentencing is set April 24 in Johnson County District Court.

Munzila, while working as a paraeducator, would regularly ask the student to leave school during the day and meet at a predetermined location in a nearby neighborhood, according to a criminal complaint. He would then take the student to a residence in Coralville where they would have sex.

He would take her back near the school and drop her off, in an attempt to conceal his relationship with the victim, the complaint stated.

The student reported to police that this happened about five times in September and October 2023. Munzila denied he ever had the student in his car, but investigators obtained surveillance video that showed him picking the student up near the school, and a Snapchat video showed the two in his car, according to evidence.

Munzila worked at West High for the first three months of this school year, according to a letter sent to parents by Principal Mitch Gross. He was removed from his position after the school learned of the allegations against him and the Iowa City Police Department was contacted.

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