PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Vice President of the Port St. Lucie soccer club is facing charges of sexually assaulting one teen soccer player on numerous occasions.
U.S. Marshall's along with the help of the Port St. Lucie Police Dpartment arrested 44-year-old Joseph Gianquitti? Tuesday night , after finding him hiding in a clubhouse at the Swan Park soccer field.?
The news comes as a shock to soccer players and parents who trusted Gianquitti.
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Andres Cossetti says Gianquitti was his coach for about 2 years.
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His father, Mario Cossetti, also coaches for the soccer club. He says he trusted his two sons around Gianquitti.?"He was a good manager, a normal guy to be around," Mario Cossetti said.
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Andres Cossetti said he never seemed to be overly physical with any players.?"He would ?give you know a couple hugs here and there, high fives, hand shakes, seemed like a friendly guy to me," Andres Cossetti said.
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His older brother Giovani also coaches for the club and has played for several years.?"He was very close to his players, like he let them over to the house, and to me I thought it was a normal thing because he had two sons," Giovani said.
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But according to police, some of those sleep overs may have been when Gianquitti molested the teen. Records show the physical contact started with a foot massage, then escalated quickly to illegal ?sexual contact.?
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Police records say Gianquiiti would offer to buy the teen gifts, and give him transportation when needed. The alleged assaults happened at Gianquitti's home and at the clubhouse near the soccer fields.
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"I was flabbergasted. I was shocked," said Giovani Cossetti.
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Mario Cossetti says all coaches and volunteers that are around the children are required to have annual background checks. He says Gianquitti would have had at least 10 checks, all of which came back clear.
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"If you don't have any history, nothing's going to surface," Mario Cossetti? said.
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Giovani says as a coach, he will work harder to make sure his players and parents still feel comfortable with the club.
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"I don't ask for the kids number I always ask for the parents numbers, " said Giovani.
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Mario Cossetti says he is confident this is an isolated case. He says the club will work to maintain a positive reputation and remain a safe place for athletes.
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