by Jerry Burke
Colman was found guilty of two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child, with the jury believing he put himself into a precarious situation with the two 11-year-old-boy he was accused of sexually abusing.
The 35-year-old Elmont resident, who was arrested last May and has been held in Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow since on $110,000 bail, could not be reached for comment but may now face charges in Queens County based on the allegations of six boys, including the two he was charged with molesting in Nassau. The Queens case is still pending.
In the trial, both boys, aged 11 at the time of the alleged incident, testified that Colman had fondled them while sleeping over at his Elmont home. Their testimony was backed up by one of the victim's 15-year-old brother, a former member of the 11 to 14-year-old soccer team, who said he witnessed the abuse.
The boys had said they didn't tell anyone about the alleged abuse until more than a month later because they feared what Colman would do to them. On cross-examination, however, Geduldig confirmed that the boys continued to play on Colman's soccer team after the sleepover.
The police were notified of the allegations last May by one of the boys' mother. He was arrested on May 17.
According to Assistant District Attorney Gregg Turkin, Colman often took the boys to soccer matches throughout the tri-state area. Turkin said that Colman and the players would stay overnight in motels and sometimes at Colman's home, where he lived with his parents.
Turkin said the allegations stemmed from a pair of sleepovers occurring on March 24 and April 14 of last year. The boy alleged that Colman abused them while the three of them slept on a mattress in his living room.
Jurors interviewed after the trial said that it was Colman who helped himself out. The coach admitted under oath that he hugged and kissed the boys on the cheeks, but that he never touched them in and around their private areas or kissed them on the mouth as they had claimed.
The jury also said that the county's case was weak on facts, with little medical evidence to go on and testimony that apparently didn't add up to a conviction. They believed Colman was direct with his testimony, which put most of them on his side. The four-day deliberation stemmed from some of the jurors feeling uncomfortable with letting Colman off completely, acknowledging that his actions were "inappropriate" in dealing with children.
Colman had faced four counts of first-degree sodomy, six counts of first-degree sexual abuse as well as the two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Had he been convicted, he would have faced up to 50 years in prison. Colman, a former construction worker, had already been banned from coaching for the Forest Hills-based Argentina Soccer League.
Turkin said afterwards that he was "extremely disappointed" with the decision, adding, "I don't think the right thing happened."
Colman will be sentenced for the two misdemeanor charges by Judge Jeffrey S. Brown on October 29. One of the boys' mother has filed a civil lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages against Colman.
