Alfredo Bruce Smith
In a plea agreement filed on Tuesday, former high school track & field coach Alfredo Bruce Smith has admitted guilt to multiple charges including rape, sexual assault, coercion, and child pornography.
If the court accepts the plea agreement, Smith faces a fine ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, along with a prison term of 30 to 35 years, followed by supervised release for the remainder of his life.
Smith, 53, has a 15-year history as a high school track & field coach, and the admitted offenses were reportedly committed over the last six years. He acknowledged in the agreement that he befriended students at Charlotte Amalie High School where he worked. Utilizing Facebook messenger and text messages, Smith engaged minors in sexual conversations, encouraging them to send explicit images and reciprocating with explicit content of his own. He also admitted to persuading some students to meet him for sexual encounters, picking them up in either his vehicle or one owned by the school and taking them to various locations, including beaches, to have sex.
“Defendant is pleading guilty to each count of the Superseding Indictment because Defendant is in fact guilty of the charges contained in the entire Superseding Indictment,” stated Smith in the plea agreement. He also admitted to using his position as a coach to exploit members of the school's track team, even during an off-island, school-sponsored track meet.
Smith conceded that all charges against him could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. In addition to the fine and prison term, he has agreed not to petition for early termination of his lifetime supervised release without the specific consent of the U.S. Attorney General for the District of the Virgin Islands.
The plea agreement also stipulates the forfeiture of property used in the commission of his crimes, including four cell phones, a camcorder, and three electronic massagers. Smith has waived his right to appeal his conviction or sentence, provided that the sentence falls within statutory limits. He has also agreed to make full restitution to his victims, with the amounts to be determined by the court.
Following the court's acceptance of Smith's guilty plea, a pre-sentencing investigation will be conducted and will be considered in determining his final sentence, the date for which has not yet been set.
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