A Florida youth basketball coach has been arrested on charges he sexually abused boys and offered their parents $5,000 each to buy them.
Carl Philip Lombardo, 58, a volunteer coach from Ocala, was arrested last week by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office following an investigation that began when parents said he refused to return his 15-year-old son from a sleepover on Aug. 31.
Lombardo had returned the teen’s siblings to their parents earlier that day, and allegedly sent the boy’s parents a chilling video showing the boy pretending to write a letter saying he wanted to stay with Lombardo.
“He says, ‘I’m writing this letter… because…’ and then he gets emotional,” the video showed, according to an arrest affidavit. obtained by USA Today.
‘He puts his head down and cries, and you can hear the suspect on the other side of the camera… saying, ‘Stop crying, do it!’
Carl Philip Lombardo, 58, has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing children and offering their parents $5,000 each to buy them.
When the boy’s parents later said they were going to contact police, the former coach said he was not worried because “he works with schools and his reputation is impeccable.” according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The teen was eventually returned safely to his parents, but the incident sparked a criminal investigation into Lombardo’s actions, during which several children told police he touched them inappropriately and took nude photos of them.
When officers later contacted Lombardo, the suspect allegedly admitted that he attempted to purchase children from their parents for $5,000 each and turned over two cell phones to police, which they said contained numerous photos of Lombardo hugging the children, photos of his feet and other child sexual abuse material.
The coach would later admit to officers that at least one of the images on his cell phone depicted one of the juvenile victims, but offered “conflicting statements about why the juveniles would disclose the sexual abuse, the presence of (child pornography) on their phones, and his claims that he was trying to ‘save’ the children from the abuse,” authorities said.
The volunteer basketball coach is accused of using his position to gain the trust of his victims’ families by hosting sleepovers with the minors at his Ocala home multiple times.
Agents now allege Lombardo used his position as a youth basketball coach to gain the trust of his victims’ families by hosting sleepovers at his Ocala home multiple times.
Lombardo also allegedly coerced the children through gifts, isolation and threats.
“He developed a pattern of holding the children for several days, during which he sexually abused two of the juvenile victims, exposed himself to the children and photographed them inappropriately,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
“The short story here is that Mr. Lombardo is an absolute predator,” said Lt. Paul Bloom. US.
Neighbors have also called him “strange” and said there was always something odd about the 59-year-old man who lived alone.
Lombardo was arrested last week by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office following an investigation that began when parents claimed he refused to return his 15-year-old daughter from a sleepover on Aug. 31.
His neighbors have called him “strange” and said there was always something odd about the 59-year-old man who lived alone.
“You could feel the vibe coming off him,” Vanessa Vélez said. he told WCJB. “My husband said it from day one: he looks like a pervert.”
Richard Foster, another neighbor, said he saw children at Lombardo’s home at all hours of the day.
“We leave for work at five in the morning and we come home at five in the afternoon. They are there at five in the morning and they are also there at five in the afternoon when we come home,” he said. “It’s very strange, very weird.”
Vélez also previously mentioned seeing children leaving Lombardo’s home crying.
“The kids were crying and my kids were asking them, ‘Are you OK? Is everything OK?'” she said.
She said the children would then respond, “Yes, yes,” and then continue walking.
“But it was concerning because he wasn’t married and didn’t have any children of his own,” she said of Lombardo.
The former coach now faces charges of human trafficking of a child for commercial sexual activity, interference with the custody of a child, lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years of age, lewd and lascivious exhibition and two counts each of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
But authorities have said they believe there may be other victims “due to the nature of these crimes, Lombardo’s former position as a children’s basketball coach and his evident predatory nature using elements of isolation and control,” and are asking victims to come forward while Lombardo is being held without bail.
