OCALA, Fla. — Law enforcement officials say a former Marion County youth basketball coach was arrested at his Ocala home Wednesday after being accused of molesting young children.

Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office say 58-year-old Carl Philip Lombardo allegedly refused to return a 15-year-old to his parents after a sleepover at Lombardo’s Ocala home.

Deputies say they believe Lombardo used his position as a former volunteer basketball coach to gain access to children.

A police report in the case also alleged that Lombardo regularly invited children over for sleepovers at his home.

What You Need To Know

  • Former Marion County youth basketball coach Carl Philip Lombardo was arrested Wednesday on nine sexual offense charges involving minors

  • Lombardo faces charges including human trafficking, interfering with child custody, molestation, exhibition and possession and production of child pornography

  • Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigators say they believe there could be other victims due to his proximity to children as a volunteer basketball coach

  • Deputies are calling on victims and parents to come forward with any information they have about Lombardo

Lombardo's arrest comes more than two weeks after Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigators say they got a call from the parent of a 15-year-old who had not returned home from a sleepover at Lombardo’s home.

According to detectives, Lombardo returned two of the teen’s siblings earlier that day, but refused to let the 15-year-old go, and sent the parent a video of the teen saying they wanted to stay.

“Detectives later learned was coerced and they did multiple takes of this video in which he even belittled the 15-year-old victim for not basically saying what he wanted, and that was that he was happy where he was, that he didn’t want to come home and he wanted to stay in Lombardo’s care,” said Marion County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Zachary Moore.

According to the arrest report, Lombardo had a pattern of taking the parent’s five children — aged between 11 and 15 years old — to his home for multiple days on end.

Detectives also say Lombardo allegedly admitted to offering to pay the parent $5,000 for each child before eventually returning the 15-year-old.

The arrest affidavit indicated that Lombardo told deputies he kept the children at his home because he thought their parents were abusive.

The 58-year-old now faces nine charges, including human trafficking of children for commercial sexual activity, interfering with child custody, lewd and lascivious molestation with a victim less than 12-years old, lewd and lascivious molestation with a victim 12 years or older, lewd and lascivious exhibition and two counts each of possession and production of child pornography.

Marion County deputies say they have reason to believe there could be other victims given what they called Lombardo's “predatory nature” and his former position as a volunteer basketball coach.

“That’s really the main reason for this release, to let people know that this guy has done some pretty awful disgusting things and that any other victim out there might not be alone,” Moore said.

He said the Sheriff's Office's goal is to encourage any other potential victims to come forward.

Moore is urging anyone with additional information on the case to call the MCSO’s non-emergency line or executive office.

Lombardo was being held without bond at the Marion County Jail.