Danny
Lawhorn, a coach in an AAU girl’s basketball program founded by former WNBA star
Bria Holmes,  was charged with child
enticement on Tuesday for the alleged sexual abuse of three players.

Lawhorn, 30,
was already in custody on state charges of second-degree sexual assault. Lawhorn
appeared in US District Court through a video conference. He also was charged
federally with distributing narcotics.

Lawhorn was
a coach in the Bria Holmes Elite AAU program. He is accused of assaulting a
team member who was staying at his home in June after asking her for a massage,
according to court documents that were unsealed on Tuesday, the Associated
Press reported.

According
to federal prosecutors, two former players from the program later came forward
to say they had been abused by Lawhorn in 2017 and 2019. Both girls, who were
under the age of 18 at the time, said Lawhorn also asked for a massage before
he sexually assaulted them, according to court documents.

Lawhorn’s
attorney Jon Schoenhorn told the Hartford Courant that his client denies the
allegations and intends to plead not guilty.

Lawhorn was
removed as a coach by Bria Holmes Elite after his arrest in June on state
charges. He had coached multiple teams for the program founded by Holmes, a
former Connecticut high school star who went on to play at West Virginia and in
the WNBA.

Holmes and
the program are yet to speak on the issue.

Prosecutors
said the drug charges stem from Lawhorn’s October 5 arrest by Hartford police,
during which he possessed about 300 wax sleeves believed to contain fentanyl,
according to the federal complaint.

Lawhorn is
due back in court for a hearing on Friday.

(With
inputs from the Associated Press)