By Michael O'Keeffe
New York Daily News
February 10, 2010
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/02/10/2010-02-10_former_christ_the_king_basketball_coach_bob_oliva_tightens_up_defense_in_sex_abu.html
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| City coaching legend Bob Oliva retains lawyer and braces for possible indictment in sex abuse case. |
Former Christ the King boys basketball coach Bob Oliva, the target of a Boston sex abuse investigation, has been quietly preparing his defense in case a grand jury reviewing evidence hands down an indictment.
Oliva, the legendary high school coach who resigned last year amid sex-abuse allegations, has retained Michael Doolin, a Boston-area attorney who, according to his Web site, specializes in rape and drug cases. Oliva has also asked acquaintances to write letters attesting to his good character.
As the Daily News first reported last month, Boston police and Suffolk County (Mass.) prosecutors appear to be wrapping up their investigation into allegations that Oliva sexually molested family friend Jimmy Carlino during a trip to Boston more than 30 years ago.
Officials at Christ the King Regional High School have already provided employment records of Oliva and assistant basketball coach Nick Sanchez to investigators, said Thomas Ognibene, the former city councilman who serves on the CTK board of trustees.
Ognibene said the school received a subpoena from prosecutors a few months ago. Out-of-state prosecutors seeking records or testimony from New York witnesses are required to file those requests through New York courts, and school officials asked prosecutors to follow proper procedures. "We wanted to avoid privacy issues," Ognibene said.
The subpoena was again sent directly to Christ the King, but Ognibene said school officials received permission from Oliva and Sanchez to ship the records to Boston.
"We did not want people to believe we were not willing to comply," Ognibene said. "We voluntarily turned the documents over."
Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, declined comment.
Carlino, a former Queens resident who now lives in Florida, and two other men who were allegedly abused by Oliva have received subpoenas ordering them to appear before a Suffolk County grand jury on Feb. 23 and 24. The two other men have requested anonymity.
"They want me to corroborate what I already told the investigators about what Bob did," one of the men said.
Doolin said Oliva has an "impeccable reputation" and the abuse allegations are not true. He said the coach has received calls of support from numerous friends and colleagues.
Sources have also told the Daily News that Sam Albano, a sports television producer and a one-time Oliva friend, has also received a subpoena to testify before the grand jury. So has Allen Watson, a former pitcher with the Mets and Yankees who served as CTK's baseball coach. Boston police are also interested in interviewing basketball recruiting guru Tom Konchalski and Carey High School boys basketball coach Marty Kelly. Albano declined comment. Watson, Konchalski and Kelly could not be reached.
Carlino told the Daily News last year that Oliva, his coach at the St. Teresa of Avila youth basketball program in Queens, had molested him for several years during the 1970s, when Carlino was a teen.
Sources told The News that most of the alleged abuse took place in New York, but Carlino has said there was an incident in Boston when Carlino accompanied Oliva to a Yankees-Red Sox doubleheader at Fenway Park in 1976.
It would be difficult for authorities in New York to prosecute Oliva because of statute of limitation issues, but Massachusetts officials wouldn't face such hurdles if they found evidence that Oliva had abused Carlino: the statute of limitations there stops ticking when a suspect leaves the state.
In April of 2008, a law firm representing Carlino sent a letter to Oliva outlining the pain the coach had allegedly caused his former friend and asked for $750,000 and Oliva's resignation from Christ the King.
Oliva refused, and Christ the King called the letter a shakedown attempt. Oliva took a leave of absence from the Royals, citing heart problems caused by stress, and resigned in January of 2009.
Oliva led Christ the King, a perennial city basketball power, for 27 years and won five city championships. Dozens of his players graduated to Division I programs, and several, including Lakers star Lamar Odom and former Nets center Jayson Williams, played in the NBA.
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