Lou Cirino Case: Guilty Plea, Sentence, and Tier 1 Registration

Lou Cirino, the former West Geauga and Strongsville High School football coach and teacher, was sentenced on December 27, 2024, to six months in the Geauga County jail after pleading guilty to gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony, involving a former student. Judge David Ondrey of the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas also imposed two years of community control, a $1,000 fine, and 15 years of Tier 1 sex offender registration, and barred Cirino from living within 1,000 feet of a school or childcare facility.¹²

What Cirino Pleaded Guilty To

On November 6, 2024, Cirino pleaded guilty to a single count of gross sexual imposition, reduced to a fourth-degree felony as part of a plea agreement. In exchange, the original sexual battery charge was reduced and a separate gross sexual imposition count was dropped.³

Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz said at the plea hearing that he would seek the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.³

The Sentence in Detail

Judge Ondrey handed down the following at the December 27 hearing:

Six months in the Geauga County jail.
Two years of community control, with a suspended prison term of up to 18 months if Cirino violates its terms.⁴
A $1,000 fine.
Registration as a Tier 1 sex offender for 15 years, with annual reporting.
A prohibition on residing within 1,000 feet of any school or childcare facility.¹

Cirino indicated in court that he expected to be taken into custody that day.⁴

What the Court Heard

The courtroom was packed. The victim addressed the court and said she stood “vindicated from the layers of manipulation, lies and deceit that this man built up for decades,” speaking about the responsibility teachers and coaches carry toward young people.⁴

Flaiz pushed for the maximum penalty. He described a “grooming process” that he said began when the victim was 12 years old and told the court that the victim “suffered serious psychological harm for a decade.” He called the conduct “one of the worst forms of conduct,” saying Cirino “leveraged that position to victimize a child.”⁵

Cirino apologized. “Unfortunately, we are all here because of the pain and harm I caused another person. I’m sorry to her family, a family I knew for 20 years,” he said, adding that he had not previously understood the extent of the victim’s suffering.⁵ His wife, Christi Cirino, also spoke, defending her husband. Many supporters attended wearing red.⁴

Judge Ondrey told Cirino directly, “You were in a position of authority and trust.” He said the sentence had to account for deterrence, adding that other school employees “need to understand the seriousness of upholding their obligation to refrain from inappropriate behavior.” He acknowledged the impact on Cirino’s family but said his obligation was to the victim.⁴

How the Case Came to Light

Cirino was head football coach at Strongsville High School from 2017 through 2023. On December 1, 2023, Superintendent Cameron Ryba told him he would not return as head coach, a decision that followed an incident in which twelve varsity players stole roughly $1,000 in merchandise from the Pro Football Hall of Fame retail store during a road trip.⁶

Shortly after the firing, a woman emailed the Strongsville school board alleging that Cirino had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student years earlier while at West Geauga. The board forwarded the message to Strongsville police, who passed it to Chester Township police because the alleged conduct occurred during Cirino’s West Geauga employment. Chester Township police were formally notified on December 10, 2023.⁷ Strongsville placed Cirino on paid administrative leave from his teaching position and barred him from school grounds; he resigned from the district on May 21, 2024.¹

The Original Charges and Arrest

Chester Township Police Chief Craig T. Young called the investigation “exhaustive” and confirmed that the same individual was the victim across all alleged conduct, and that no criminal contact occurred on school property.⁸

In March 2024, a Geauga County grand jury returned a two-count indictment. Count one alleged sexual battery, a third-degree felony, for sexual conduct with a student between December 21, 2009, and December 20, 2010. Count two alleged gross sexual imposition, also a third-degree felony, for sexual contact with someone under age 13 between December 21, 2004, and December 20, 2005. Each charge carried a maximum 60-month prison term.⁹

Cirino was arrested on April 12, 2024, and arraigned three days later before Judge Ondrey. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $10,000 bond with a no-contact condition covering the alleged victim.¹⁰ He changed his plea in November.

What Tier 1 Registration Requires

Tier 1 is the lowest of Ohio’s three sex offender classifications. It requires the offender to register annually with the county sheriff and to report any change in address, employment, or internet accounts. Tier 1 offenders are not subject to community notification, so their information is not proactively distributed to neighbors. They are generally prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare center.¹¹ For Cirino, that obligation runs for 15 years.

As of early January 2025, no appeals or post-sentencing motions had been filed.⁴

1
Cleveland 19. Sentencing for Former Strongsville, West Geauga Teacher and Coach
2
Chagrin Valley Today. Louis Cirino Sentenced
3
Geauga Maple Leaf. Cirino Pleads Guilty to Student Relationship at West Geauga
4
Geauga Maple Leaf. Emotions Run High as Cirino Gets 6 Months Jail
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Cleveland.com. Ex-Strongsville Coach Gets Six Months in Jail Involving Sexual Relationship With Student
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Cleveland 19. Strongsville Head Football Coach Let Go After Students Steal From Pro Football Hall of Fame
7
Geauga Maple Leaf. Cirino Charged With Sex Crimes While at West Geauga
8
Chagrin Valley Today. Investigation Into Louis A. Cirino
9
Cleveland.com. Former Strongsville, West Geauga Football Coach Accused of Sex Charges Involving Student
10
News-Herald. Former West Geauga Coach Pleads Not Guilty on Sexual Battery Charges
11
Franklin County Sheriff. About Offender Classification