Shrink known as ‘Big Foot’ pleads guilty after her arrest for molesting detained teens

A shrink known as “Big Foot” who was accused of raping and sexually abusing at least five victims at an upstate New York juvenile detention center has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge in the case.

Maya Hayes, 47, faces up to 2 1/2 years in state prison after pleading guilty June 25 to one felony count of criminal sexual act under a plea deal with Columbia County prosecutors.

Hayes could also be slapped with 10 years of post-release supervision and forced to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 20 years when she is sentenced in September, the Columbia District Attorney’s Office said.

Hayes faces several lawsuits from nearly half a dozen young men who claimed she plied them with phone privileges, hair products and food while regularly fondling them and forcing them to squeeze her breasts, according to court papers.

The alleged abuse unfolded at Brookwood Youth Facility near Albany, where one of the accusers was as young as 15.

The counselor allegedly wanted to have oral sex with her young charges “because she was sexually frustrated at home,” one alleged victim said Hayes told him, according to a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit filed by three accusers.

He added Hayes claimed “it was her fantasy and it gave her a rush to give residents ‘blow jobs.’”

She once lifted her shirt to show off her breasts while asking another boy, who was then 16, “Do you like big boobs?” he alleged in the legal filing.

In yet another episode of alleged abuse, Hayes was accused of asking a victim to fondle her and then complained he was “not squeezing her breasts hard enough,” he said in the litigation.

“Dr. Hayes’ guilty plea is the first step in holding her — and the staff at Brookwood Secure Center –accountable for the sexual abuse and emotional trauma our clients endured,” lawyer Evan Brustein said.

Brookwood is a secure facility for those under 21. Staff knew about the abuse and allegedly joked with victims about Hayes, referring to her as “Big Foot.”

New York State Police arrested Hayes in April on 65 counts of criminal sexual act and rape.

Hayes, who could not immediately be reached for comment, denied “all allegations” in court papers responding to one of the lawsuits.