Monmouth County Youth Soccer Coach Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Crimes
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 7:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
UNION BEACH, NJ.- On Monday, November 18, 2024, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago reported that last week, a 33-year-old Union Beach man accused of engaging in multiple sexual offenses against multiple student-athletes he coached admitted guilt to multiple child sex crimes.
Late last week, Ryan Gunsauls, 33, of Union Beach, appeared in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, New Jersey, and pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Christie Bevacqua to first-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for Manufacturing Child Pornography; second-degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child for Manufacturing Child Pornography; and third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child by Sexual Conduct.
In return for the guilty plea, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Gunsaulus be sentenced to 12 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires Gunsaulus to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole.
Following his guilty plea, Judge Bevacqua accepted the pleas and scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2025, in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, New Jersey. Judge Bevacqua ordered Gunsaulus to remain detained in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending sentencing.
Investigation Uncovers Child Sex Crimes
The charges and guilty plea stem from an investigation that was led by Monmouth Couty Prosecutor’s Office Detective Joseph Mason, involving members of the Monmouth County Special Victims Unit and Detectives of the Union Beach Police Department, that began earlier this year, when a juvenile disclosed to authorities that Gunsaulus had been soliciting and distributing sexually explicit materials with him over a social media application.
As the investigation continued, Detectives learned about eight additional children, ages eleven to seventeen, who were also solicited by Gunsaulus. At the conclusion of the investigation, Gunsaulus was taken into custody without incident in May and has remained detained in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. Upon sentencing, Gunsaulus will be transferred to the custody of the New Jersey State Department of Corrections to complete his State Prison Sentence.
