The Boulder City Police Department on Wednesday released body camera footage of the arrest of a high school football coach accused of lewdness and child abuse.
A series of 21 videos contained more than 10 hours of footage from different angles of the roughly 30-minute arrest in January.
The recordings showed several officers pulling over an SUV driven by Boulder City High School football coach Frank “Bubba” Mariani, who wore a baseball cap, a hoodie, and athletic shorts. The arrest appeared to have occurred near a school, with playground equipment in the background and the sounds of children yelling.
Mariani, who has worked for the Clark County School District since 2009, is accused of slapping football players’ buttocks, talking about having sex with minors, and grabbing a player’s genitals, among other things. The allegations stem from the period between May 2024 and November 2025.
The first officer who approached Mariani requested his license and registration, then told him to step out of the vehicle.
Mariani asked, “Why?”
“Because I’m asking you to step out of the vehicle,” the officer replied.
Mariani muttered, “Oh my God,” after he saw about half a dozen patrol vehicles surrounding his SUV. Moments later, another officer handcuffed Mariani and patted him down.
Mariani told the officer he was headed to pick up his children from school, and he asked that someone contact his wife.
Meanwhile, his wife called his phone, which police had already seized, and officers passed it among themselves before letting Mariani speak with her while he was detained.
“Hi, are you being arrested?” the wife asked, panting during the call. “Why?”
Mariani stated his charges. He asked her to arrange rides for the children and call their lawyer.
The arresting officer, speaking with a colleague, remarked that he was surprised Mariani’s wife didn’t ask more about the arrest and simply responded, “Okay.” In other videos, officers, including one who discussed Mariani’s recent firing from Boulder City High School, remarked that Mariani must have seen the arrest coming.
An investigation into Mariani began in November after several minors reported misconduct, police have said. In December, the mother of a Boulder City High School football player filed a complaint with Boulder City police about Mariani, the Boulder City Review reported.
Toward the end of one video, Mariani’s vehicle, which officers noted had a flat tire , was towed. His trunk was filled with boxes of sports equipment, with gym bags in the back seat.
The first officer said, “This guy is going to be in for a while,” referencing Mariani’s initial $58,000 bail.
Another officer replied, “Dummy.”
In some of the videos, a seemingly emotionless Mariani sat detained in the back of a patrol vehicle.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
