35 Years for Coach Who Used Hall Monitor Post to Sexually Exploit Minors

A former high school coach in the US Virgin Islands has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for using his position to sexually exploit multiple minor students, authorities said.

Alfredo Bruce Smith, 53, of St. Thomas, was employed as a hall monitor and track and field coach at Charlotte Amalie High School from 2006 to 2021, according to the US Department of Justice.

During his tenure at the school, Smith sexually assaulted and exploited multiple male students who attended the school, authorities said. His crimes were revealed in 2019 after he sexually assaulted a minor male student during a track and field meet in Puerto Rico.

The victim reported to law enforcement that Smith forced him and other minor male students to engage in sexual intercourse and sodomy both on and off the school campus, and that Smith used his cell phone to record himself and the minor male victims engaging in sexual acts and pornography.

Court documents revealed that Smith’s Facebook account contained a large quantity of sexually explicit material, including videos of sexual activities between Smith and the minor male victims, recorded in different locations in St. Thomas.

When Smith was arrested on September 1, 2021, law enforcement seized a laptop, a camcorder, and five cellular phones, which contained a large quantity of videos and photographs containing child pornography.

“One of our greatest responsibilities is to protect our children, and we will continue to target child predators who sexually abuse them,” said United States Attorney Delia L. Smith.

“This case is particularly egregious because Smith used his position of trust to victimize students over a period spanning 15 years. I am grateful to all who worked tirelessly to bring this case to justice for the minor victims who were abused by this defendant.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everard E. Potter and Natasha Baker.

At sentencing, Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy told Smith that “Charlotte Amalie High School during those 15 years was your playground to molest those children. School is supposed to be a safe haven – like their home, not a place that cases trauma and pain.”

Molloy further stated that “if it were not for the courage of the children who reported these atrocities, we would not know what happened.”

Smith must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will serve a lifetime of supervised release, authorities said.