California water polo coach charged with molesting 7 girls

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A coach who ran a club affiliated with USA Water Polo has been charged with the sexual abuse of seven underage female players during one-on-one coaching sessions, prosecutors said Wednesday, the latest instance of mentors of young athletes being accused of misconduct.

Bahram Hojreh, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges including sexual battery, lewd acts upon a child, and sexual penetration by foreign object of a minor, according to a filing this week in Orange County Superior Court.

His attorney, Ricardo Nicol, told The Associated Press that Hojreh never had a blemish on his record after working with hundreds of children over two decades.