CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A boisterous high school gym instructor who sexually assaulted at least 20 children in his charge and videotaped them in the process of the rapes — got 35 years in prison from a federal judge.
Alfredo Bruce Smith, 53, of St. Thomas, was handed that sentence after pleading guilty to 20 counts of local and federal child sexual exploitation offenses, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Robert A. Molloy also ordered to obey a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender if he is ultimately released from prison, U.S. Attorney Smith said.
“Charlotte Amalie High School during those 15 years was your playground to molest those children,” Chief Judge Molloy said at sentencing. “School is supposed to be a safe haven – like their home, not a place that cases trauma and pain.”
Chief Judge Molloy added that “if it were not for the courage of the children who reported these atrocities, we would not know what happened.”
According to court documents, Smith was employed as a hall monitor and track and field coach at the Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas from 2006 to 2021.
During his tenure at the school, Smith sexually assaulted and exploited multiple male students who attended the school.
Smith’s crimes were revealed in 2019 after he sexually assaulted a minor male student during a track and field meet in Puerto Rico.
The victim reported to law enforcement that Smith forced him and other minor male students to engage in sexual intercourse and sodomy both on and off the school campus, and that Smith used his cell phone to record himself and the minor male victims engaging in sexual acts and pornography.
Court documents further revealed that Smith’s Facebook account contained a large quantity
of sexually explicit material, including videos of sexual activities between Smith and the minor male
victims, recorded in different locations in St. Thomas.
When Smith was arrested on September 1, 2021, law enforcement seized a laptop, a camcorder and five cellular phones which contained a large quantity of videos and photographs containing child pornography.
Smith used his position as hall monitor to remove minor male students from their classrooms during and after school hours to sexually abuse them in empty classrooms and offices on the school’s campus.
In fact, Smith’s office, where most of the sexual abuse took place, was next door to the principal’s office.
Smith also used the school’s official vehicle and camcorder to transport the minor male students and record the sexual abuse at various locations in St. Thomas.
“One of our greatest responsibilities is to protect our children, and we will continue to target
child predators who sexually abuse them,” U.S. Attorney Delia Smith said. “This case is particularly egregious because Smith used his position of trust to victimize students over a period spanning 15 years. I am grateful to all who worked tirelessly to bring this case to justice for the minor victims who were abused by this defendant.”
Meanwhile, the comments from the community at large were also highly critical of Bruce Smith.
“They just give him 35 years!” Alicia Torres said on St. Croix. “Lord we can’t trust the schools with our children that’s a shame Alfredo Bruce Smith you should feel ashamed of yourself I would of lock you up and throw the key away!”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorneys Everard Potter and Natasha Baker.
They just give him 35 years !!! lord we can’t trust the schools with our children that’s a shame Alfredo Bruce Smith you should feel ashamed of yourself I would of lock you up and throw the key away!!!!!