Former President of USA Softball accused of molesting minors


Former USA Softball President John Gouveia was arrested in April and charged with a series of sexual acts with a minor.

Gouveia, 61, was arrested on April 14 on eight felonies for indecent actions involving a child under the age of 14. He was being held on $250,000 bail but arranged bail and was released the same day from the Sacramento County (California) Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

According to the indictment documents, the eight counts relate to crimes committed between 2015 and 2021 involving multiple children under the age of 14.

Gouveia’s attorney Jason R. Holley declined to comment. Gouveia’s next court date is August 11.

Gouveia served in various capacities for the national softball association for almost 30 years from 1991 to 2019 and was the organization’s president. The sheriff’s office said the allegations against Gouveia had nothing to do with USA softball.

USA Softball said in a expression on Tuesday night that its officials had no independent knowledge of the allegations and learned about them through news reports. The organization added that it will report the allegations to the US Center for SafeSport and Sacramento County Child Protection Services.

“The alleged conduct is contrary to and inconsistent with USA Softball’s mission and core values, which include developing and governing the sport while providing the best possible experience for all involved in the game of softball,” the organization said in the explanation.

Gouveia also worked for 25 years with the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, which manages dozens of parks in Hayward, California. He retired as general manager in 2016, but the sheriff’s office said the arrest was unrelated to the recovery center.

The news comes as US softball competes in the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, beginning Saturday.