Prosecutors say an 18-year-old student was living in his Stoneham home as a foster child.
WOBURN, Mass. — A Malden school employee who coached girls basketball was held on $75,000 cash bail after prosecutors said he raped an 18-year-old high school student in his Stoneham home. Scott Marino, 54, pleaded not guilty and was ordered to avoid the student and all Malden school property.
The case has shaken a school community because prosecutors say the teen was not just a student athlete but a foster child in Marino’s home. Court filings and statements described a night that began with a church service and dinner plans and ended with a 911 call and a hospital exam. The judge imposed tight controls that could keep Marino away from schools and the student while the case moves toward a probable cause hearing in April.
Marino appeared in Woburn District Court a day after his arrest on charges that include two counts of rape, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, and furnishing alcohol to a person under 21. Prosecutor Jacob McCrindle said the alleged assault happened on Feb. 18 at Marino’s home in Stoneham, where the 18-year-old was living. McCrindle told the judge the teen had been in foster care with Marino and his wife and had played basketball for him during the season. He described the relationship as one of trust and authority and argued for high bail, saying Marino was a 54-year-old educator and coach accused of targeting a teen in his care.
Prosecutors laid out a detailed account of the evening in court. They said Marino’s wife was scheduled to travel out of state, leaving Marino at home with the teen and an older relative who lives in a basement apartment. With the student on school vacation, the group went to an Ash Wednesday Mass, according to the prosecutor. After dropping the older relative back at the house, Marino and the teen drove, prosecutors said, because she had a learner’s permit and was practicing highway driving. They then decided to go into Boston to pick up seafood takeout, the prosecutor said, and stopped at a liquor store on the way back. Surveillance video shows Marino buying a strawberry margarita mix, a large bottle of Patron tequila and another agave liquor, McCrindle said.
Back at the Stoneham home, Marino gave the teen a large margarita, prosecutors said. The teen drank some but did not like it, and Marino encouraged her to keep drinking, the prosecutor told the court. McCrindle said Marino later poured tequila shots for both of them while they ate dinner. The teen soon became ill, prosecutors said, and went to her bedroom, where she vomited repeatedly before lying down. McCrindle said Marino then entered the room and sexually assaulted her twice. The teen later grabbed her phone and texted friends and an aunt, begging for help, the prosecutor said. The aunt called 911 while driving to the home, and the teen was taken to Winchester Hospital for a sexual assault examination, according to the account presented in court.
Marino’s defense attorney urged the judge to consider his client’s background and community ties. The attorney said Marino is a respected educator and coach with support in the community and had never been in court before. The judge, however, set $75,000 cash bail and attached conditions aimed at keeping Marino away from the teen and limiting any risk of contact. The court order included a requirement that Marino have no contact with the alleged victim or any witnesses and stay away from all Malden school property and events. The judge also required GPS monitoring with exclusion zones tied to the teen’s home address, her school, her workplace and a gym she frequents.
The judge ordered Marino to surrender his passport and barred him from leaving Massachusetts while the case is pending. The court also imposed alcohol restrictions, requiring Marino to remain alcohol free and submit to SCRAM testing, an alcohol monitoring program used in some criminal cases. Those conditions will remain in place as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for the next major court date. Marino is scheduled to return for a probable cause hearing on April 16, a step that can include evidence summaries and witness issues as the case moves forward in District Court.
Malden Public Schools moved quickly to distance the district from the allegations while acknowledging the impact on students and staff. Superintendent Timothy Sippel said the district was informed on the day of Marino’s arrest that he had been taken into custody in connection with a serious incident that allegedly happened outside work hours and involved a high school student. Sippel said Marino was immediately placed on leave and the district is cooperating with law enforcement. In a statement, Sippel said the allegations were upsetting and distressing and emphasized that student and staff safety remains the district’s highest priority. District officials did not describe the alleged incident in detail in their public statements.
The case has drawn attention beyond Malden because it centers on an adult who held multiple roles around young people. Prosecutors highlighted the foster-parent relationship in court as they argued for restrictions and bail, describing it as a position of trust layered on top of Marino’s work as a teacher and coach. They also described what they called signs of planning, including the timing of the alleged assault while Marino’s wife was away and the purchase of alcohol during the trip back from Boston. McCrindle told the judge there was a significant age difference between Marino and the teen and described a size difference noted in reports, arguing those factors added to the concerns raised by the allegations.
Outside court, the allegations have also rippled through the area where Marino lives. A neighbor in Stoneham told a local television station that the accusations were hard to believe and described the family as good neighbors, reflecting the disbelief that can follow a high-profile arrest. At the same time, prosecutors said the teen’s text messages and the quick 911 call were key moments in getting help and preserving evidence. The court has restricted Marino from any contact with witnesses, a standard condition in cases where prosecutors fear pressure or retaliation, and ordered electronic monitoring to enforce distance requirements.
For now, the criminal case remains at an early stage. Prosecutors have not publicly described any forensic results from the hospital exam, and the defense has not outlined its strategy beyond denying the charges. Marino’s not guilty plea keeps all allegations contested. The probable cause hearing scheduled for April 16 is expected to be the next public milestone as the court reviews the case and sets the path ahead.
Author note: Last updated March 1, 2026.