NYC Flag Football Coach Solicited Nude Photos Of Minors: DA

NEW YORK CITY — A Manhattan youth flag football coach has been indicted on felony charges after reportedly soliciting nude and sexual photographs and videos from children he coached in exchange for cash and gifts, authorities said.

From June to October 2023, 27-year-old Benvontay Fogler—who coached children ages 12 to 15 in New York City —solicited nude and sexual photographs and videos from at least four children he coached using Snapchat, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said Thursday.

Fogler gave the children money or gifts in exchange for the photos and videos, officials said. In one case, he apparently paid a child about $1,600 for sexual images.

Fogler has been charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with multiple counts of use of and attempted use of a child in a sexual performance as a sexually motivated felony, in addition to endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.

The locations where Fogler worked have not been stated on the record to protect the identities of the victims, prosecutors said.

"He has an extensive employment history which is part of our ongoing investigation," a spokesperson from Bragg's office told Patch.

Bragg added that others have come forward with similar allegations against Fogler, urging "concerned parents and caregivers whose children may have had contact with" Fogler to call the office's Special Victims Division at 212-335-3400.

"The Manhattan D.A.’s Office’s Special Victims Division has specially trained professionals who can speak with children and their families in a child-friendly setting," officials wrote. "The office highly recommends that parents consult with our specially trained professionals or other child advocacy experts before speaking with their children about the possibility of a crime."