'Life improvement' coach accused of rape

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LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., April 17 (UPI) -- A Georgia man who hosted "life improvement" courses throughout the United States is accused of raping two teenage girls, police said.

Officials said Gainesville, Ga., resident Carmine Edmund Baffa, 52, allegedly forced a 13-year-old and 19-year-old to have sex with him during separate "individual coaching sessions" in a home where he once lived in Lawrenceville, Ga., the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday.

Baffa is behind bars at the Gwinnett jail without bond and faces charges of rape, sexual assault, child molestation and aggravated sexual battery, the report said.

Spellman said Baffa, who claimed to be a hypnotist, convinced people that engaging in sexual activity would enhance their self-help sessions.

Baffa often had patients referred to him by doctors, but he is "not a licensed therapist of any sort," Spellman said.

The case is set for a probable cause hearing Friday in Gwinnett County Magistrate Court, the newspaper said.