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Owings resident Moshe Michael Imel, 53, a longtime former coach of the Patuxent Rhinos youth football team, pleaded guilty in Calvert County Court to three felony charges related to the sexual abuse of minors, authorities announced on Tuesday, May 2.
Last month, Imel pleaded guilty to similar federal charges.
According to the Calvert County Sheriff's Office, between 2009 and 2020, while he was the coach of the team, Imel would entice minors to his home with promises of letting them join the squad.
Over time, he bribed his underage victims with food, money, and other gifts to force them to engage in sexual activity, officials noted. On multiple occasions, Imel also produced videos of his activity.
Previously, Imel admitted to federal prosecutors that he directed each minor to expose and touch himself in a sexual way and ultimately engaged in sexual contact with them on multiple occasions.
He also created sexually explicit videos of the victims documenting his abuse, which were later recovered by investigators.
During the investigation, a search warrant was executed at Imel’s Maryland home, where they found a basement ripped out of a "To Catch a Predator" special that matched the description of that provided by the young victims.
Prosecutors said that the basement included action figures lining the walls, a computer setup, multiple cameras, sex toys, and other paraphernalia.
A subsequent review of 14 electronic devices seized at Imel’s home also led to the discovery of child porn or evidence of his sexual abuse with minors on each.
He has been detained since.
Imel is scheduled to be sentenced on the county charges in August, when the state will seek 40 years in prison. Prosecutors say that sentence, coupled with his federal sentencing in August, will see Imel behind bars for the rest of his life.
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