Hockey coach arraigned in Florida

ACUSHNET, MASS. (WPRI) -- A youth hockey coach accused of soliciting teen boys over the Internet has been arraigned this morning in Florida.

Anthony DeSilva of Acushnet was arrested Thursday at his home and by Friday night was in the custody of the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida.

At his arraignment Saturday morning, DeSilva was charged with 10 counts of Use of a Computer to Seduce a Child and one count of Transmission of Material Harmful to a Child - both are felony charges.  He was held on $55,00 cash bail and as of Saturday afternoon had not posted bail.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office told Eyewitness News that the investigation started when police in Polk County passed along a complaint from a woman there that DeSilva was having inappropriate online conversations with her 16 year-old son.  Detectives then posed as the boy online and DeSilva then allegedly sent nude pictures of himself to the boy and described various sexual acts he said he wanted to perform with the boy.

District Attorney Sutter's Office does not believe there are any local victims; DeSilva coaches the Massachusetts Maple Leafs, a hockey team made up of players between the ages of 16 and 20.