Hockey coach accused of molesting children found dead in jail cell

PHILADELPHIA _ Ivan Pravilov, the former coach of the Ukrainian national hockey team, was found dead Friday morning in a federal jail cell in Philadelphia.

Pravilov, 48, was found by guards about 3 a.m. at the Federal Detention Center, said spokesman Darrin Howard. He was pronounced dead, a suspected suicide, 45 minutes later.

Pravilov was arrested in Philadelphia in January and charged in the sexual assaults of two young hockey players in a Philadelphia apartment.

Federal authorities charged him on sex tourism counts.

Pravilov operated the Unique Hockey School, which hosted hockey camps along the Eastern seaboard. Pravilov was also a director of the New England Sports Academy in Massachusetts. He lived in Cherry Hill, N.J., and maintained an apartment in Philadelphia, according to federal investigators.

Following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. attorney's office filed charges alleging Pravilov transported minors across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.

At the time of his arrest, an ICE spokesman said, "We believe there are many more victims."

Pravilov was also facing assault charges in his home country, according to an Interpol warrant.

He faced 40 years in federal prison if he had been found guilty on the sex tourism charges.

An autopsy will be conducted by the medical examiner to determine the cause of death, Howard said.