March 16, 2009

Joseph Okoh, the former soccer coach at Howard University, will spend 14 years in prison. A Louisa County Judge sentenced Okoh on Monday.

Last November, a jury found Okoh guilty of soliciting a minor for sex over the internet.

According to prosecutors, the incident happened on January 25, 2008. Okoh initiated a conversation with what he thought was a 13-year-old female in a Yahoo chat room. Okoh engaged in an extremely explicit conversation and he suggested meeting the girl in Louisa County.

When he arrived he found members of the Louisa County Sheriff's Department. They found Okoh with a digital camera, voice recorder, laptop with satellite internet connection, webcam, and condoms. The Commonwealth Attorney's office said those items could have been used to broadcast Okoh's actions over the internet.

At today's sentencing hearing, the defense argued that a 14-year sentence was excessive and asked, instead, for a 7-year sentence. The judge sided with the prosecutors and imposed the 14-year sentence.

Howard University suspended Okoh as head men's soccer coach after his
arrest.