Franklin Square soccer coach charged with raping teen player, Nassau police say
A Franklin Square youth soccer coach was arrested Friday and charged with raping a player on two occasions in mid-August, Nassau police said.
Sean Johnsen, 35, of Farmingdale, a coach with the Franklin Square Raiders Soccer Club, was charged with rape, criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child, law enforcement officials said.
Johnsen was arraigned virtually Friday, and Nassau District Court Judge Paul Meli ordered him held on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 secured bond. Three orders of protection were also issued.
He is due back in court Wednesday in Mineola.
"These are very serious charges that will be addressed in court," said Matin Emouna, Johnsen's Garden City-based defense attorney. "My client has an outstanding reputation as a coach, teacher, mentor, counselor and categorically denies all of the accusations of inappropriate behavior."
In court Friday, Emouna said Johnsen was a secondary caregiver for his mother, who lives in Valley Stream and suffers from stage 4 cancer.
Authorities said Johnsen coaches a club team, with players ranging in age from 14 to 19.
Johnsen is accused of having "inappropriate contact" with a 16-year-old female player on Aug. 17 and 21 in Westbury, police said.
Prosecutors confirmed that Johnsen coaches with the Franklin Square Raiders, a boys and girls soccer club. A Raiders official declined to comment, referring calls to the police department.
Johnsen was also a part-time assistant women's soccer coach from April to December 2019 at Queens College and a part-time math teacher at Fusion Academy, a Woodbury private school.
"At Fusion Academy Long Island, we take our responsibility to ensure the safety of our students very seriously," the school said in a statement. "Early this morning, we learned of the arrest of one of our teachers. We have placed the individual on leave pending the outcome of the criminal case. While we have no reason to believe the incident involved a Fusion student, we find the allegations deeply disturbing, and will fully support any ongoing investigation."
Detectives ask anyone who may be a victim of a similar crime or who can help with the investigation to call 516-573-4022.
With Cecilia Dowd and Joan Gralla
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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