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Former coach sentenced to 10 years for sex assault

He pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting two former players

By Lila Fujimoto 6 min read

WAILUKU -- Former Upcountry basketball coach Jonathan Furtado was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting two teenage girls who were members of a club team he coached.

"What's clear in this case is you put your sexual desires -- and even now your reputation -- ahead of doing what was right," 2nd Circuit Judge Richard Bissen told Furtado. "I think deep down you're capable of doing what's right.

"You're capable of being an excellent basketball coach and you're absolutely capable of being a pedophile. That's what you are, Mr. Furtado. The best pedophiles are the ones that nobody expects."

Furtado, 40, had pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree sexual assault of one girl in August 2009 and second-degree sexual assault of another girl in December 2014. Other sexual assault charges were dismissed in exchange for his pleas.

His attorney, Michael Green, said Furtado agreed not to seek probation in exchange for the prosecution remaining silent at a parole hearing that will determine when he would be eligible for release. The victims can make statements at the hearing.

The first sexual assault occurred when the girl was 14 and Furtado was 28, said Deputy Prosecutor Karen Droscoski. She said the second girl was 16 and Furtado was 33 at the time.

She noted that numerous letters to the court said taking Furtado away from his family and community would have a negative effect.

"These people need to be reminded that Jonathan Furtado was not thinking about his community or his family when he was manipulating and sexually assaulting these 14- and 16-year-olds," Droscoski said. "Make no mistake, he and he alone is the one responsible for taking him away from his career as well as family."

Furtado "groomed" the girls, telling them they were special and giving them gifts and rides to school and workouts, before preying on them, Droscoski said.

"These girls were vulnerable, desperate to impress their coach, and their parents trusted this young man with their daughters," she said.

The first girl was in the sixth grade when she met Furtado, Droscoski said.

She said his light touches and massages progressed to sleepovers and tickling, then a four-year sexual relationship starting when she was 14 and ending when she left for college. Furtado wouldn't let the girl kiss him on the lips, saying it was only for people who were in relationships, Droscoski said.

She said he told her not to tell anyone and would suggest that she go out with other boys.

Speaking in court Thursday, the woman said she was 21 when a friend said something and she realized her relationship with Furtado hadn't been right.

"I learned that I did not live a normal teenage life," she said. "I got those years taken from me. Till this day, I'm still trying to figure out how to move past this."

She said Furtado "made me feel special."

"He put a lot of time, resources, dedication and money into me," she said. "To me, that was love. He was my first long-term relationship."

She said she spoke up after hearing about other underage girls that Furtado was involved with.

"We do not deserve this," she said. "We did not ask for this at all."

Droscoski said the other girl was among team members who were invited to Furtado's house to bake banana bread for a fundraiser. She was waiting for a ride and was alone with Furtado when he took her into his bedroom and forced sex on her, Droscoski said.

"She feels betrayed, manipulated, taken advantage of and the defendant ruined her future in basketball," she said. "All because he couldn't just be her coach."

Furtado was suspended from his Seabury Hall coaching job in March 2018 after a woman said in a social media post that Furtado had "taken advantage of and manipulated" her in a relationship that began when she was 14 and he was 28.

Green said Thursday that Furtado was "as remorseful as anyone I've ever represented."

Furtado was hospitalized because he was suicidal, Green said.

"He moved away from the island because of death threats," he said.

In court, Furtado read a statement apologizing to the two women, their families, "my family, friends and to the students I coached over the years."

"I cannot put into words my sorrow and sadness that resulted from what I have been accused of," he said. "I have chosen to plead no contest to my charges and avoid publicly revisiting the facts and circumstances of a trial.

"It is my decision to accept responsibility in this case."

"Because you did it?" Judge Bissen asked Furtado.

"Yes, I did," Furtado replied.

The judge said Furtado "should put to rest the conspiracy theories that this has all been made up against you, that this is not who you are."

"You are a human being with all the flaws that come with that," Bissen said.

He said he believed those who wrote letters to the court.

"I believe that they saw exactly what you wanted them to see," Bissen said. "So when they say, 'I never saw Jon do anything inappropriate,' I believe them. There's only maybe one or two people in this courtroom who saw you do anything inappropriate.

"That does not mean it didn't happen. That means they didn't see it with their own children, those that had young sons that played for you.

"But here's what we all know -- you can be both. You can be a hero and you can be a monster. Everybody's capable of that."

Bissen applauded "the courage of young women to come forward."

"It cannot be easy because they feel like they're taking on the whole community because you have more friends and more people that support you," the judge said. "One of the differences is you were in control of this. You no longer have control. You won't even have control over your daily doings for the next few years. You forfeited that when you took control of these young women."

As part of his sentence, Furtado was ordered to register as a sex offender and participate in sex offender treatment while incarcerated.

"Most sex offenders cannot be treated, we know that," Bissen said. "But the way you protect the community is you tell everybody who you are so people can take steps to protect themselves and protect their families.

"There will be those who continue to trust you because of their experiences with you, and there are those who will be shocked by what they learned today."

The judge imposed a 10-year prison sentence for each offense, with the terms to be served at the same time.

"Every coach out there who has any thought of this should learn from this," Bissen said. "Priests, scout leaders, people who try to associate themselves with their victims should be on notice."

Furtado was ordered to pay $400 in restitution.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.

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