Bond set at $55K for Mass. coach accused of seducing minors

BARTOW, FL (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) A junior hockey coach from Acushnet answered to computer sex crimes charges inside a Florida court on Saturday morning.

FOX 13 in Tampa Bay reports that Anthony DeSilva's bond was set at $55,000 during his first appearance inside a Polk County court room on 10 counts of using a computer to seduce a child and one count of using computer to transmit harmful material to a child. The judge placed bail at $5,000 per charge.

DeSilva was transported to Florida on Friday night following his arrest in Massachusetts earlier in the week.

A mother in Polk County contacted police after a man named ‘Tony,' who police claim is DeSilva, began sending her child nude images of himself on the Internet and through text messages.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said this case illustrates how important a role adults play in keeping their children safe from online predators.

"We have said over and over that parents are our first line of defense against sexual offenders," Judd explained. "Here is a perfect example of that. The [victim's] mother absolutely did the right thing by contacting us as soon as she suspected that a sexual predator was soliciting her child."

DeSilva has been a coach for the Mass. Maple Leafs since the team was formed in 1997. He was also formerly a baseball umpire in Middleboro and an assistant hockey coach for Taunton High School, but has since been dismissed.

The 41-year-old told detectives he is employed by a company called CRJ Community Resource Justice and works the midnight shift at a group home for mentally challenged individuals.

To read more: MyFOXTampaBay

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