Chatham coach charged after alleged sexual conversations

by Margaret McHugh

A Little League coach and father of three from Chatham Township was arrested this afternoon, accused of having sexual online conversations with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Michael Donofrio, accompanied by his wife and an attorney, turned himself in at the Morris County Courthouse shortly before 4 p.m. and was charged with luring, attempted sexual assault, attempted child endangerment and attempted promoting obscene material.

"He is every community's worst nightmare,'' Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez said.

Donofrio began conversing with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl in March, but who was actually a 45-year-old volunteer from Perverted Justice. Donofrio was ensnared in the most recent NBC show, "Dateline: To Catch a Predator,'' although he never actually met with the girl, according to the arrest affidavit.

Donofrio allegedly told the "girl'' he was not a predator, but 90 minutes into their conversation, he told her he was masturbating, Rodriguez said. He also sent links to photographs of male genitalia and made arrangements to meet her in person, the affidavit said.

Chatham Township police were alerted to the situation on July 20 by somebody who brought a posting about Donofrio on the Perverted Justice website to their attention.

Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto set bail at $50,000. Donofrio was expected to post it. Donofrio, who worked as a controller and assistant treasurer at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, allegedly used his work computer to converse with the decoy victim.