Ex-NYC Coach Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Abuse In Boston
BOSTON (AP) - A former New York City high school basketball coach has pleaded guilty in Boston to child sex abuse dating to the 1970s.
Robert Oliva was sentenced Monday to five years' probation after pleading guilty to two counts of child rape and one count of disseminating pornography to a minor.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports.
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Oliva's accuser read a statement calling Oliva "a disgusting human being" who used his power to treat him as a sex toy.
"We did many great, normal things together, but all of that is overshadowed and destroyed by the dirty secret that I buried inside me for all of those years," he said. "Looking back, the sexual abuse of me by you took my youth away from me …. Hopefully now I can work on becoming a normal, functioning everyday person."
Oliva was accused of abusing the then-14-year-old during a 1976 trip to a Red Sox-Yankees game. He was not one of Oliva's players, but took part in a youth league where Oliva coached.
Oliva won 549 games and five city championships in 27 seasons at Christ the King Regional High School, where he coached several future NBA players including Lakers forward Lamar Odom. He resigned in 2009.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
