Former Iowa Barnstormers coach Greg Stephen is shown in 2008. (Michael Zamora/The Des Moines Register via AP)Saying that an AAU basketball coach in Iowa “exploited, manipulated and abused children for almost two decades,” a judge sentenced him to 180 years in prison Thursday. Greg Stephen, 43, had pleaded guilty to multiple counts related to child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors, after prosecutors accused him of sexually exploiting at least 440 boys over a period of several years. In addition, Stephen surreptitiously filmed and photographed boys while they disrobed and slept in hotels or at two residences he used. Stephen co-founded the Iowa Barnstormers in 2005, and it gained an Adidas sponsorship as it grew into a program that enrolled children, including girls, from the fourth grade through high school.

Source: Washington Post May 03, 2019 10:18 UTC