A former Cuban volleyball player, who had been working as a coach at a Miami high school, has been convicted of inappropriate conduct involving two students. Yuniesky Ramírez-Martínez, aged 39, was found guilty by a Miami-Dade court on Thursday for committing four criminal offenses against students at Downtown Doral Charter Upper School.
According to the Doral Police Department, Ramírez-Martínez was supposed to safeguard the teenagers as a part-time security monitor and volleyball coach, yet he exploited them sexually instead.
The Nature of the Crimes
Ramírez-Martínez recorded a female student engaging in sexual activity with her boyfriend and subsequently threatened to use the footage to harass her sexually. On Valentine's Day 2023, he approached two 16-year-old students, a boy and a girl, and offered them his security access card to provide them with privacy. He led them to a secluded area to "do whatever they wanted," which the teenagers understood as an invitation to engage in sexual intercourse. He assured them they could "do it" while he waited elsewhere. However, the room had two windows, and he proceeded to another room to film them with his phone.
Surveillance footage captured him recording the students as they engaged in sexual activity in the school's television production room. After the couple finished, Ramírez-Martínez approached them, gave a thumbs-up, and fist-bumped the boy. The following day, he informed the girl that he had witnessed the act and threatened to release the video unless she performed sexual acts with him. She refused and eventually reported him to the school administration on February 17.
Principal Kim Ortiz contacted the Doral Police, and a statement revealed that Ramírez-Martínez was immediately terminated upon discovery of the incidents. The police confirmed that he had only been employed at the school as a part-time security monitor and coach for a couple of months. It remains unclear what he did with the video he recorded.
Doral Police Chief Edwin López told NBC Miami, "This individual is extremely dangerous, victimizing students, taking advantage of them during a unique stage in their hormonal lives, dealing with social media pressures, relational pressures, and you are supposed to be an authority figure in the school." He added, "You're supposed to coach, mentor, and guide these young men and women to the next phase of life, and you're exploiting them. There's nothing worse than that for us."
Trial and Sentencing
As reported by Local 10, the jury deliberated for about an hour and a half before delivering their verdict. Ramírez-Martínez was found guilty of offenses against students by a person in authority, two counts of promoting a performance by a child, and video voyeurism in a school setting. However, he was acquitted of charges involving solicitation of a minor for unlawful conduct, lascivious and obscene contact with certain minors, and distribution of obscene material to a minor. Sentencing is scheduled for August 20 at 9:00 a.m.
Born in Guantánamo in 1986, Ramírez-Martínez is a former top-level beach volleyball player from Cuba, having won two gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes in the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit, according to the Beach Volleyball Database.
Details on Yuniesky Ramírez-Martínez's Conviction
What was Yuniesky Ramírez-Martínez convicted of?
Yuniesky Ramírez-Martínez was convicted of offenses against students by a person in authority, promoting a performance by a child, and video voyeurism in a school.
How long did Yuniesky Ramírez-Martínez work at the Miami school?
He was employed for a couple of months as a part-time security monitor and volleyball coach.
When will the sentencing for Yuniesky Ramírez-Martínez take place?
The sentencing is set for August 20 at 9:00 a.m.