LANSING โ A Holt High School boys basketball coach has been suspended after being arrested on charges of child molestation and accusing a minor of immoral purposes.
Holt Superintendent David Hornak said in a letter to parents Friday that Mohammad El-Amin was placed on administrative leave immediately after the district learned of the allegations against him.
“At this time, we have no information to believe that this incident involves any district student or occurred on district property,” Hornak wrote.
El Amin, 36, was charged Friday in 54-A District Court with one count of child sexual abuse, two counts of computer internet communication for the commission of a crime, and aiding and abetting a child for immoral purposes. He was charged with one of the felonies.
He was caught Thursday and Friday in one of multiple child sex stings conducted by members of “multiple law enforcement agencies in the Lansing area,” according to court documents leading to charges against Coach Holt on Friday. A Lansing police investigator testified.
Investigators say police mistakenly placed an ad on an online prostitution website that was inaccessible. The sender, identified as El-Amin, then responded to the ad on Thursday, requesting a decoy posing as a 15-year-old girl to perform a sex act, authorities said.
The man agreed to pay the decoy $50 and “one pack of White Claw alcoholic beverages for oral sex,” and then arranged to meet the decoy at a business in the 5000 block of Dunkel Road, documents said.
Investigators testified that officers saw El-Amin arrive at the meeting point at the agreed time and arrested him. Officers found $50 and a pack of White Claws.
In a news release Friday night, Lansing police announced that members of the department's special operations unit, Eaton County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police arrested El-Amin on Thursday around 8:20 p.m.
According to court records, a judge ordered El Amin to have no unsupervised contact with minors and to stay away from schools, parks and other areas where minors may be frequented. A personal bail of $20,000 was set for Mr. Amin. Records show he applied for a public defender.
El-Amin, who did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment, was hired to coach the Holt boys in May 2023.
He graduated from Holt College in 2005 and helped the Rams win the Class A state championship in 2005. After graduating from Lansing Community, he became an All-American in college and then went on to Stony Brook. He was the American East Player of the Year and was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American in 2010.
El Amin later played professionally overseas.
Hornak said the district will provide academic support and counseling to students affected by the situation. He also asked anyone with information to call OK2Say at 855-565-2729, the Holt Public Hotline at 517-699-STOP, or his office.
A hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for El-Amin to stand trial on the charges has been tentatively set for May 24.
Please contact Ken Palmer.kpalmer@lsj.com. X Follow him at @KBPalm_lsj.