Baltimore County softball coach sentenced to 10 years for sexual abuse of player

A Baltimore County judge on Thursday slammed a softball coach who sexually abused a 17-year-old girl as “a predator” before sentencing him to serve 10 years in prison.

Circuit Judge Dennis Robinson Jr. said he reluctantly accepted a plea agreement in the case because it spared the survivor from having to testify against Michael Pusateri at trial. The sentence exceeded the guidelines for sexual abuse of a minor, the judge noted, which called for between four to nine years in prison.

Robinson said Pusateri groomed and exploited a player he coached and physically and emotionally violated her.

“You’re disgusting,” Robinson told Pusateri. “You’re a walking ‘Dateline’ special.”

The judge commended the survivor as brave for coming forward and expressed a hope that she will be able to find some peace and closure.

When he’s released from prison, Pusateri, 60, of Nottingham, must spend five years on supervised probation and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

He apologized to the survivor and her family members as well as his loved ones.

“I’m truly sorry,” Pusateri said. “I’m not entitled to forgiveness, nor do I expect any.”

Baltimore County Police started investigating Pusateri in 2025 after the survivor disclosed the sexual abuse.

The Banner does not identify survivors of sexual abuse without their permission.

Pusateri served as a softball coach for the Parkville Recreation Council and volunteered as an assistant coach at Kenwood High School in Essex. He also coached teams in the Middle River and Overlea-Fullerton areas, police reported.

Detectives found two notes from him in her bag, prosecutors allege, including one that read, “With you, I found my space safe, this place where I can be the authentic me. Your touch and smile are my favorite, and the place where nothing else but feeling you hold me matters.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Kayla York said Pusateri was in a position of authority and trust and noted that his actions will continue to affect the survivor even after the conclusion of the court proceedings.

At one point, York turned around and addressed the survivor, who sat in the first row of the courtroom gallery: “You’re not the things that have been done to you.”

The survivor tearfully read a victim-impact statement and described how she now questions people’s intentions, avoids certain places and keeps her guard up.

Softball, she said, was a huge part of her identity. But she said she had to walk away from the sport. At the same time, the survivor said, Pusateri cannot change who she will become in the future.

“This is my life,” she said. “This is my voice.”

Peter Crawford, Pusateri’s attorney, said there was no excuse for his client’s conduct and stated that he accepted responsibility for his actions.

In a related case, Pusateri is expected to plead guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, where he’s charged with sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement and receipt and possession of child pornography, court records show.