Former Medford soccer coaches face charges in rape of girl, 13

Roger Lau and Thomas Heinz are now both 26, but were in their late teens and early 20s when the alleged rapes took place, prosecutors said. Their lawyers said the two were wrongly accused.

The suspects, both lifelong Medford residents, appeared briefly in Somerville District Court. Lau remained out of public view during the proceeding, but Heinz stood before the judge with his attorney, Brad Bailey.

Heinz, who is accused of one count of forcible child rape, had met with Medford police and voluntarily submitted to an interview because “he had nothing to hide,’’ Bailey said.

Lau’s attorney, Jason Thomas, also denied the allegations against his client, who was a member of the soccer team at the University of Massachusetts Boston earlier this decade.

“We believe that once all the investigating is done, these complaints will be unmerited,’’ Thomas said in court.

Lau pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape of a child with force, while Heinz pleaded not guilty to one count of rape of a child with force.

Judge Maurice Flynn released Heinz on personal recognizance and set bail at $8,000 cash for Lau, which was posted later in the day.

Flynn ordered both men not to have contact with the victim, who is now 20 and who contacted authorities in November. He also barred them from youth sports.

At the request of Bailey, Flynn permitted Heinz to continue refereeing soccer games for anyone older than 16 and for adults. Heinz left court accompanied by his father, also named Thomas, and his sister. They declined to comment.

At the time of the alleged assaults, Heinz was the coach and Lau the assistant coach for an under-14 girls team with Medford Youth Soccer and the victim was one of the players, according to prosecutors.

Youth soccer officials did not return e-mails and telephone calls seeking comment, but posted a note on the group’s website, at medfordsoccer.com.

“Medford Soccer is troubled by the allegations against two former coaches that became public,’’ the statement said. “Medford Soccer has cooperated fully with authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so.’’

Citing the continuing investigation, the statement said that “we feel that no further comment is appropriate.’’

Heinz’s father is identified on the website as the town coordinator and liaison for referees. The group did not address his status.

In an interview later yesterday, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said the alleged rapes took place between April 2003 and November 2004. He said that the investigation began last month and that more charges could be forthcoming. He also said more victims could come forward.

“These girls at the time were 13 and 14 years old,’’ Leone said. “They didn’t even know what they were doing was wrong or was bad.

“Now, six or seven years later, they have matured into young women. They know, one, this is wrong; two, I was victimized; and, three, I can tell someone.’’

In court, prosecutors said that Lau lured the girl to his home by promising to show her a movie. Instead, he had sex with her, as he did on other occasions for the next several months.

Another time, Lau was having sex with an unidentified female while Heinz and the 13-year-old girl were in the same room. Prosecutors alleged that Heinz raped the 13-year-old on that occasion.

John Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.