A former youth football coach in Maryland was arrested last week after two people reported they were abused by him as minors.
Moshe Michael Imel, 50, of Owings was charged on four counts of sex abuse of a minor, after the two people told police that they were sexually abused by Imel over the course of years when they played youth football.
When Imel was arrested, a third teenager came forward.
The accusations date back to 2009, according to the local NBC affiliate.
Imel coached in Calvery County and was the coach for the Patuxent Rhinos youth football program in Upper Marlboro. Imel coached with the organization on and off for more than a decade before finally departing in 2019.
His son, Manuel Imel, told NBC that his father "is an amazing person" who has "never abused anyone.” Because of these allegations, Manuel Imel said, “My father will never coach again and that was his passion."
Imel is being held on $500,000 bond, and the sheriff’s office believes there could be more victims.
“Out of precaution, parents are asked to speak with their children about Imel and report any activity that could be deemed inappropriate,” the sheriff’s office said.
