A former coach accused of sexually assaulting one of his players at Washington-Liberty High School may avoid any jail time.
George Porcha, 54, was recently acquitted of two sex crime charges involving a former girls basketball player about 25 years ago. He still faces other charges, including carnal knowledge of a 13 to 15-year-old, for alleged acts involving a second player.
A proposed plea agreement would have Porcha enter a “deferred” guilty plea to the carnal knowledge charge while three other related charges are dropped.
If an Arlington Circuit Court judge signs off on the agreement, Porcha will go on probation for five years. So long as he abides by all the terms of his probation, his current charges will drop down to a single charge of contributing to the delinquency of a child — a misdemeanor.
This would come with a suspended 12-month sentence, resulting in no immediate jail time.
If Porcha were to violate his probation, the deal would be off and he would be sentenced for the original charge, which has a much harsher penalty.
Co-counsel Alene Sprano told ARLnow that Porcha opted for the approach, even after he won at trial on similar charges earlier this year, because it would be “best for everything.”
Prosecutors allege that Porcha developed an inappropriate relationship with one of his players, then a freshman, back in 2000. The coach, who is roughly 15 years older than the plaintiff, has been accused of regularly giving her massages before escalating the behavior into sexual touching, according to the prosecution’s statement of facts.
“[The victim] never said anything because Porcha told her that he would lose his kids and his wife if she told anyone,” the document says.
Porcha is accused of trying to engage in sexual intercourse with the victim on one occasion between November 2000 and March 2001, when the victim was 14 years old.
“Porcha did not use any force or threats to engage in the sexual activity with [victim], but he did tell [her] to make sure she didn’t tell anyone about what happened because otherwise he would get in trouble or lose his family,” the document alleges further.
The allegations are similar to those in the case brought against Porcha by another woman, who also alleged that Porcha had sexually assaulted her when she was under the age of 18.
On Feb. 21, Porcha was found not guilty of all the charges in that case following a four-day jury trial.
“Mr. Porcha maintained his innocence throughout this process, which included a police sting phone call, a discussion with the lead detective, and testifying at trial,” co-counsel Manuel Leiva at the time. “It’s unfortunate that he and his family had to go through this trying process. He just wants to get back to his life and put this nightmare behind him.”
Porcha’s fate in the current case will be determined on June 13, when a judge will consider whether or not to accept the terms of the plea agreement.
