Former Booneville basketball star indicted for sex crimes involving minors
A former Booneville High School basketball star and part-time assistant coach has been indicted for sex crimes involving minors.
Kenny Paul Geno, who played for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2013-17, was indicted last week in federal court on charges of sexual exploitation of children and coercion or enticement of a female. Geno, 28, was arrested earlier this week and entered a plea of not guilty in a hearing Tuesday in Mississippi, according to multiple media reports.
Geno was previously employed as a part-time assistant basketball coach at Booneville High School in north Mississippi where he helped both boys and girls varsity teams win back-to-back state championships in 2022 and '23.
As a player at Booneville, he was named to five-player first-team All-State squad by the Clarion-Ledger as a senior, and the preseason Dandy Dozen for top players in the state prior to the 2012-13 season. The Blue Devils won the Class 3A state title when Geno was a sophomore, and were runners-up his junior and senior seasons.
If convicted of both charges, he could face 25 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine.
The charge of sexual exploitation of children carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in a federal prison. The charge of coercion or enticement of a female carries a minimum sentence of 10 years.
In a motion to revoke Geno's bond earlier this week, the U.S. Attorney’s office stated an FBI investigation remains ongoing because there are more potential victims. According to a Daily Corinthian report, the investigation includes at least seven witnesses accusing Geno of sending inappropriate Snapchat videos to them as minors, offering to buy and/or buying alcohol for minors, asking for pornographic material of minor females and sending pornographic material of himself to minors.
An FBI agent testified Geno allegedly recorded himself in a sexual act with a minor.
Bond was denied for Geno and a trial has been set for Nov. 20 in U.S. District Court in Greenville, Mississippi.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Former Booneville basketball player Kenny Paul Geno indicted for sex crimes
