Broward Cheerleading Coach Accused of Inappropriate Relationship With Underage Girl

A Broward County cheerleading coach and gym owner has been arrested after he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a young girl.

Raul Albites, 38, was recently arrested on an enticement of a minor charge by the U.S. Marshals Service, Broward jail records showed.

Court records said Albites is the owner, operator and head coach at Broward Elite Gym in Davie. The gym is no longer in business.

Broward Sheriff's Office

Albites met the victim when she was 11 when she began cheerleading training at the gym, including afterschool and private coaching sessions, the court papers said.

"Initially, Defendant and the minor victim had a 'father-daughter' relationship, but the relationship subsequently progressed in to inappropriate texting and FaceTiming on an almost daily basis," the records said.

Authorities said Albites' conduct led the girl to believe the two were in a romantic relationship, and said he tried to persuade her to engage in sex acts with him.

Albites told her "he would leave his wife when the minor victim turned 18 so they could get married" and told her he loved her, the court records said.

Albites also sent her a number of inappropriate text messages, authorities said.

"I want to be your BF…I see you as my girl…I [expletive] tell you how I feel regardless of consequences…I have everything to lose to be with you…Yes I can't go out and hang out with you…Yes I can't tell your parents or take you out or properly tell anyone…I sleep and dream of you…and I am committed to what we are doing," the texts read, according to the court records.

In the summer of 2020, when the victim had just turned 16, Albites tried to perform a sex act on her and inappropriately touched her, the court filing said.

The girl's mother discovered the relationship in August of 2020, when she and the victim were helping Albites and his wife move out of the gym and she saw Albites embracing and kissing the teen behind the gym near a trash dumpster, authorities said.

When confronted by the mother, Albites claimed it was a misunderstanding and she was "just kissing him on the cheek," the filing said.

The girl's mother was suspicious and looked through her daughter's phone and found the texts between the two, authorities said.

The victim later admitted to law enforcement that she had deleted Albites' messages because she loved him and "did not want him to get in trouble," the court records said.

Albites also sent the mother texts apologizing for the relationship and saying he "lost his perspective" and "should've known better," and had "messed up" and "crossed the line," the court records said.

The girl told police the physical relationship with Albites began in July 2020, and said he tried to convince her to have sex with him, described what he would do to her, touched her inappropriately, tried to kiss her several times and sent her a picture of his genitals, the filing said.

The girl "believed she was in love with [Albites] and that they were going to get married," the court records said.

Authorities said Albites works as a handyman but had previously worked as a head coach at a cheerleading gym.

In arguing that he should be held without bond, authorities wrote that Albites "abused the position of trust given to him by the parents of children who attended his gym."

Albites remained behind bars Tuesday on a U.S. Marshals hold, Broward jail records showed.