
LANCASTER – At least six alleged victims have been identified in the child sexual abuse case against longtime Antelope Valley soccer coach, Renoir Valenti, prosecutors said.
“There’s five in the active complaint right now, [and] there’s six I listed on the protective order,” said Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami.
The news came after Valenti appeared in an Antelope Valley courtroom Monday for a scheduled preliminary hearing. The 50-year-old Quartz Hill resident is currently charged with three counts of felony continuous sexual abuse of a child and two counts of annoying or molesting a child.
Valenti’s preliminary hearing was postponed until September 12, “given the amount of discovery and the possibility of additional charges,” said L.A. Superior Court Judge Christopher Estes.
At his court appearance Monday, Valenti was also served with a protective order barring him from having any contact with his victims.
“It’s coming to our attention based upon certain information that he at least was contacting one of the victims…” Hatami said. “The job of the sheriff’s department and the DA’s office is to issue protective orders for certain victims, especially children victims. And the protective order basically says that he can’t come into contact with them.”
Valenti’s victims are all males, who ranged in age from 5 to 15 when the alleged sexual abuse occurred, investigators said.
Valenti was a coach and referee in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) for more than 16 years, and investigators believe the 50-year-old used his position as a method to meet and befriend children, according to a Sheriff’s Department press release.
Authorities began investigating Valenti last month when the mother of a 9-year-old boy reported that her son had been molested; and during the course of the investigation, two additional boys under the age of 15 were identified as victims in the case, sheriff’s officials said.
Detectives arrested Valenti on August 6, at his residence in the 42900 block of 59th Street West, and he was charged on August 8. The abuse was allegedly committed as early as November 27, 1998, according to court records.
Prosecutors would not say on Monday if they planned to add even more victims to the case. Hatami said he was working closely with sheriff’s detectives and he would be turning over additional discovery to Valenti’s defense attorney on Friday.
“We’re working hard on the case and I should have an amended complaint some time soon,” Hatami said.
Valenti remains jailed on $1 million bail.
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