Softball coach began sexually abusing player on his team when she was 12, feds say
A girls’ softball coach will spend over a decade in prison after sexually abusing a girl playing on his team in Puerto Rico, federal prosecutors said.
The abuse, which spanned two years, began when the girl, who viewed the coach as a father figure, was 12 years old, according to prosecutors.
She was best friends with the coach’s daughter and often visited his home, where the abuse would occur, to practice softball with her, court documents state.
A judge in San Juan sentenced Dennis Cotto-Alvarado, 45, of Ponce, to 12 years and seven months in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico announced in a Feb. 14 news release. After serving his sentence, he’ll face 15 years of supervised release.
“Investigating and prosecuting those who exploit and sexually abuse minors is and will always be a top priority for the Department of Justice,” W. Stephen Muldrow, the U.S. attorney for the district, said in a statement.
McClatchy News contacted Cotto-Alvarado’s attorney for comment on Feb. 16 and didn’t receive a response.
In May 2019, the girl’s mother contacted police in Puerto Rico and filed a complaint against Cotto-Alvarado, saying he sexually abused her daughter from 2017 to 2019, according to facts outlined in Cotto-Alvarado’s plea agreement. He knew her since she was 6 years old, the mother told authorities.
While Cotto-Alvarado coached the “Las Maratonistas de Coamo” girls’ softball team, which his daughter was also a part of, he began giving unwanted, sexual massages to the victim at his home after she played softball with his daughter, the plea agreement says. He is also accused of masturbating in front of her.
The girl was scared to speak out about the abuse because Cotto-Alvarado ordered her to keep quiet about it, according to prosecutors.
He also sexually abused her in his car while driving her to and from practice in Ponce when her mother was unable to drive her, the plea agreement states.
Prosecutors said he told the child he was in love with her and “that this was only the beginning, it would never end even if she eventually had a boyfriend,” according to the plea agreement.
Cotto-Alvarado pleaded guilty to transporting a female minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct, court documents show.
Anyone who believes they’ve witnessed a similar crime in Puerto Rico are urged to call 787-987-6500, Joseph González, special agent in charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, said.
Anonymous tips about child sexual abuse, or any other crime, can be reported at tips.fbi.gov.
Ponce is a city on Puerto Rico’s southern coast, about 75 miles southwest of San Juan.
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 7:51 AM with the headline "Softball coach began sexually abusing player on his team when she was 12, feds say."
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