Prosecutors say the student, 18, texted for help and an aunt called 911.
STONEHAM, Mass. — Prosecutors say a Malden basketball coach accused of raping an 18-year-old high school student bought tequila and margarita mix during a trip that began with a church service and ended with a 911 call. Scott Marino, 54, pleaded not guilty in Woburn District Court and was released on $75,000 cash bail with strict conditions.
The allegations have drawn intense attention because Marino worked in public schools and coached teenagers, and prosecutors say the student was living in his home in a foster-care arrangement. In court, prosecutors described surveillance video, text messages seeking help and a hospital sexual assault exam after the teen left the home. School officials said Marino was placed on leave as law enforcement investigates, and the judge ordered electronic monitoring and no contact with the student while the case heads toward an April hearing.
Marino is charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, and one count of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21. Authorities say the alleged assault happened Feb. 18 at Marino’s home in Stoneham. Prosecutor Jacob McCrindle told the judge the teen was known to Marino and had been living in the home after moving in during the fall. McCrindle said the teen played basketball for Marino during the season and that their families had known each other for years. He described Marino as a teacher and coach who held authority in the teen’s life and said the foster-parent relationship made the power imbalance even sharper.
In the account presented in court, the evening began on Ash Wednesday as Marino’s wife prepared to travel out of state. The teen, who prosecutors said was on school vacation, attended an Ash Wednesday Mass with Marino and an older relative who lives in a basement apartment at the home. After the service, prosecutors said Marino and the teen drove together so she could practice driving with a learner’s permit. They then decided to go to Boston for takeout seafood, the prosecutor said. On the way back to Stoneham, prosecutors said, Marino stopped at a liquor store. Surveillance video shows him buying strawberry margarita mix, a large bottle of Patron tequila and other agave liquor, McCrindle told the court.
Prosecutors said Marino served the teen a large margarita after they returned home. The teen drank some but did not like the taste, and prosecutors said Marino encouraged her to keep drinking anyway. McCrindle said Marino later poured tequila shots for both of them as they ate the seafood dinner. The teen became ill and went to her bedroom, prosecutors said, vomiting repeatedly before lying down in bed. McCrindle said Marino then entered the bedroom and sexually assaulted her two times. The teen later retrieved her phone and began texting friends and then an aunt, begging for help, prosecutors said. The aunt called 911 while driving to the home, and the teen was taken to Winchester Hospital for a sexual assault examination, prosecutors told the court.
The prosecution argued the details suggested deliberate steps to isolate the teen. McCrindle told the judge Marino appeared to wait for his wife to leave so he would be alone with the teen and said the alcohol purchases and the timing showed planning. He noted the age gap, describing Marino as 54 and the teen as 18, and told the court there was also a size difference described in reports. In asking for high bail, the prosecutor said the case involved an alleged abuse of trust by a foster parent who was also a teacher and coach. In a separate description cited by prosecutors, the teen was said to have run out of the home in distress when help arrived, underscoring the urgency of the 911 response.
Marino’s defense attorney urged the judge to weigh Marino’s lack of a criminal record and his ties to the community. The attorney described him as a respected educator and coach who had never been in court before. The judge set bail at $75,000 cash and imposed multiple conditions. Marino must have no contact with the teen or witnesses, stay away from all Malden school property and events, and wear a GPS monitoring bracelet. The GPS order includes exclusion zones tied to the teen’s home address, her school, her workplace and a gym she frequents. The judge also ordered Marino to surrender his passport, remain in Massachusetts and stay alcohol free with SCRAM monitoring.
School officials said Marino worked at Linden STEAM Academy, a kindergarten through eighth-grade school, and served as head coach of the Malden High School girls basketball team. Superintendent Timothy Sippel said the district learned Marino had been taken into custody in connection with a serious incident alleged to have occurred outside working hours and involving a high school student. Sippel said Marino was placed on leave right away and that the district is cooperating fully with law enforcement. In his statement, Sippel acknowledged how upsetting the allegations are for families and staff and said student and staff safety is the district’s top priority.
As the case moved through court, reactions ranged from shock to concern about oversight in situations where adults have access to students through school and extracurricular roles. Neighbors in Stoneham described disbelief as Marino left court after posting bail, with one neighbor saying she did not believe he was capable of the accusations and calling the family good neighbors. Prosecutors, meanwhile, emphasized the foster-care relationship as central to their argument that the teen was placed in a vulnerable position. Public officials have not released additional details about how long the teen had been in the home beyond the court description that she moved in during the fall.
The next scheduled court date is April 16, when Marino is due back for a probable cause hearing. That hearing is expected to be the next major public step as prosecutors continue their investigation and the defense prepares its response. For now, Marino remains free on bail under electronic monitoring and court-ordered restrictions while the charges against him remain pending.
Author note: Last updated March 1, 2026.