WILKES-BARRE - The FBI charged Holy Redeemer High School varsity football coach Joseph J. Ostrowski on Tuesday with luring a minor into sexual conduct so that he could produce and distribute child pornography.
Prosecutors filed an additional charge of extortion against Mr. Ostrowski, claiming the Wilkes-Barre man made a threat to injure the reputation of another in connection with the case.
Details about Mr. Ostrowski's alleged crimes were not included in charging documents unsealed Tuesday morning in federal court in Scranton prior to his initial appearance in front of U.S. District Judge Thomas Blewitt.
The FBI's probable cause affidavit to support the charges remained sealed Tuesday.
An arrest warrant says that between Dec. 31 and April 18, Mr. Ostrowski "did knowingly use, persuade, induce and entice a person under the age of 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct."
A shackled Mr. Ostrowski, 28, was brought into a courtroom Tuesday morning wearing gym shorts and a Holy Redeemer T-shirt. After advising Mr. Ostrowski of his charges, Judge Blewitt ordered him jailed to await a bail hearing Thursday.
The FBI declined comment Tuesday, but later released a statement asking anyone with information about Mr. Ostrowski's case to call the FBI's Scranton office.
Two players from the Holy Redeemer football team were stunned by the developments.
"I couldn't believe it," said Jim Strickland, a sophomore quarterback. "I found out (Monday) on the news."
Eric Kerr, a sophomore, said he was devastated by the news of the arrest. He said he thought Mr. Ostrowski was the coach that would bring the program, which is 7-43 overall, to the next level.
The Royals have not won a game in the last two seasons.
"I was devastated by it," said Eric, a wide receiver whose season was cut short by an injury.
Mr. Ostrowski, a standout football player for Meyers High School and Lycoming College, has been the head football coach at Holy Redeemer since June 2011. The child porn charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The extortion charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Mr. Ostrowski has retained Kingston-based attorneys Frank Nocito and Philip Gelso, who represented him at Tuesday's court appearance. In a phone call afterward, they declined to comment about the case.
"We can't, especially at this early stage," Mr. Nocito said.
Nobody answered the door Tuesday at Mr. Ostrowski's Vulcan Street, Wilkes-Barre home, where neighbors said he lived with his father.
Contact the writers: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, pcameron@citizensvoice.com
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