Former New Hampshire college volunteer basketball coach, Joshua Pincoske, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of producing and possessing child sexual abuse material. Appearing in federal court in Concord, Pincoske called his actions "despicable" and took full responsibility for them, according to AP News.
As part of a plea agreement in May, Pincoske had pleaded guilty to the charges, resulting in the dismissal of five other related charges. U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante ordered Pincoske to serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the completion of his prison sentence, and Pincoske will be required to register as a sex offender for life. He has been in custody since his arrest in February 2022 on related state charges, as reported by the Boston Globe.
Prosecutors claim that over nearly five years, Pincoske sexually exploited and abused seven girls, ranging in age from 14 to 17, from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. He met one girl through a youth basketball program, while connecting with the others online. Colby-Sawyer College, where Pincoske volunteered as an assistant basketball coach for the men's program, rescinded his status after the charges and mentioned that no complaints were filed against him during his tenure there, News Center Maine reports.
Prosecutors described in their sentencing memorandum how Pincoske sexually degraded the children for his own gratification, filmed and photographed their abuse, distributed images and videos to others, and even offered one victim to another man if he agreed to pay her money. They had initially requested a 30-year sentence.
Pincoske's lawyers, however, sought a 20-year sentence, arguing that it is "comparable to the sentence imposed in some homicide cases" and highlighted Pincoske's difficult upbringing as a child. They also emphasized the severe losses in Pincoske's life, including his wife, children, job, and friends, according to the National Post.
