Ex-coach pleads guilty to assaulting teen girls
Rape, corruption of minors among charges
A former Beaver County basketball coach will serve eight to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to nearly two dozen sexual assault charges in a case involving teenage victims.
Ralph Ruprecht, 51, also must serve 20 years of probation and register as a sex offender.
Ruprecht was scheduled to go on trial this week before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Donna Jo McDaniel, but he instead pleaded to all 21 counts against him, including rape, indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, corruption of minors and obstruction, as part of an agreement with the district attorney’s office.
He made no comment other than to say he entered the plea because he’s guilty.
Pittsburgh police said Ruprecht, who coached a girls travel
basketball team in Ambridge, befriended two underage girls, forced them to have sex with him and other men in locations in Cranberry, Waynesburg and in hotels. Assistant district attorney William Petulla said Ruprecht would arrange for the girls to sneak out of their homes and then return them without getting caught.
Ruprecht was arrested by Pittsburgh police because some crimes allegedly occurred at his Strip District apartment.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, one of the victims said Ruprecht threatened to tell her parents if she did not have sex with the other men. The other girl said Ruprecht punched and choked her to gain compliance.
During the hearing Wednesday, the mother of one of the victims read an impact statement in which she said Ruprecht taught her daughter it was OK to lie to her.
“Ifeel like my only daughter was stolen away from me,” the woman said. “I don’t understand why someone would wanttocausesomuchhurt.”
Judge McDaniel addressed the victim’s mother and told her, “You should feel no guilt or feel no blame. There’s only one person in this world responsible for what happened to your daughter.”