Category Archives: Boy Scout Abuse

How Many Boy Scouts were Abused?

The Boy Scouts of America is considering chapter 11 bankruptcy as it faces roughly 250 lawsuits for alleged child sex abuse. The BSA’s insurance carriers are refusing to settle these claims.

Bankruptcy is unavoidable and that is probably a good thing.

Bankruptcy will allow the victims to come forward, confidentially, and be counted. Healing can begin with an accounting of what happened and judicial recognition of the terrible harms that were inflicted upon them.

Most importantly, a bankruptcy filing will encourage victims to come forward and identify their abusers.

Identifying those who victimized them would be a courageous act of civic responsibility that can protect society from their abusers, most of whom remain hidden..

Has the BSA done anything to determine how many children were abused in its programs?

The bankruptcy process will probably show that there are many more victims of abuse in scouting than are represented by the 250 cases now pending.

It may well dwarf what we’ve seen in the Catholic Church cases. Between 1910 and 2012, the BSA quietly removed an estimated 60,000 child molesters from its ranks – and it documented each one in what has come to be known as “the perversion files.”

The New York Times reported in 1935 that the BSA revealed that it had opened almost 3000 files on child molesters who had infiltrated its ranks between 1910 and 1935.

BSA officials testified that in the 1970’s the organization destroyed most of these files in a three-yearlong document shred. But it retained 6700 of them, most of which were published online by the Los Angeles Times in 2012.

Unfortunately the BSA kept no destruction logs so we have no way of knowing how many it destroyed. But the rate it created them was constant– BSA opened on average a new perversion file every other day for a hundred years.

Was the creation of a secret file system, known to very few, actually child protection?

Why didn’t former BSA top officials like former United States Secretary of State and Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson or former CIA Director Robert Gates do anything years ago? Did either of them ever look at these files? What if, instead of being violent sexual predators, these 60,000 abusers had been jihadi terrorists infiltrating America? Would powerful men like these have turned a blind eye to them?

The BSA’s boilerplate press releases seem to say that if its programs resulted in scouts being sexually abused, they represented acceptable losses.

FBI research shows that on average a child molester has over a hundred victims over a life time of offending. If you read some of the 17,947 horrifying pages of the surviving 6700 files, the immensity the problem lands like a sledgehammer.

And these files are just the tip of the iceberg as they only account for sexual predators who were identified and removed.

How many were never detected?

Or if caught, how many were simply turned out of the organization instead of reported to the police?

How many of the predators the BSA failed to report, joined other youth organizations and continued abusing children?

We don’t know because BSA officials have never been transparent about the problem.

As widely reported, the files demonstrate that with rare exception, the BSA failed to report these cases to the police or civil authorities. In so doing, BSA officials unleashed monsters on other youth-serving organizations and enabled some to enter back into scouting in other locations, re-registering under altered identities.

It’s almost certain that the surviving perversion files represent a tiny fraction of the abusers who were able to prey on children in scouting.

One hundred years of secrecy prevented community members from learning about these predators’ histories, putting countless children at risk.

But it gets worse…

Five percent of the abusers removed from the organization were not adult volunteers – they were professional scouters who worked at the BSA – the BSA was literally “putting the wolves in charge of guarding the hen house.” Was it surprising to learn that the head of the BSA program for safeguarding scouts from sexual abuse was himself convicted of trafficking in child porn in 2005? The “perversion files” are a veritable treasure trove of criminological information revealing the methods and patterns molesters used to infiltrate the BSA and organizations like it.

To BSA national leadership, these were dirty little secrets that needed to be hidden away under lock and key, to be kept hush-hush in order to safeguard the BSA brand. The many good points of scouting are are overshadowed by the revelations from countless former scouts who have been burdened with incomprehensible lifelong trauma. The BSA estimates that more than 110 million children participated in scouting programs since its inception. Today, the organization claims 5 million members.

Some say scouting has been made safe but the “Scout Safety Program” it touts is too little, too late. Its purpose is public relations – not genuine child protection. It is a genuine question whether scouting as it is presently constituted could ever be made reasonably safe.

The organization’s moral bankruptcy seems to have put it on the path to actual bankruptcy.

But should BSA be allowed to reorganize in bankruptcy and given a “fresh start”? Can an organization that puts children out in the woods, overnight in tents with men whose backgrounds are barely known, ever be made reasonably safe?

Or should Congress revoke BSA’s charter and let the organization be liquidated? If you are concerned about protecting future generations of children, these are questions you should be asking your representatives. The BSA and its legions of high-paid lawyers are undoubtedly hoping that bankruptcy will not produce a flood of additional cases and that only a small fraction of scout victims will come forward. But that would be unfortunate because it would allow the predators to remain hidden.

Let us hope that these courageous scout abuse survivors come forward and say “me, too” – even if it shocks and sickens a nation that for a century placed its trust in “America’s Most Trusted Institution.”

Without the scout survivors stepping forward, we will never know.

Thirteen newly accused sexual predators, a dozen victims, identified in sex-abuse case against Boy Scouts of America

From PRNewswire: :

“For immediate release

Thirteen newly accused sexual predators, a dozen victims, identified in sex-abuse case against Boy Scouts of America

Lawsuit identifies the largest number of previously unknown pedophiles in a single court filing against the Boy Scouts, attorneys say

____________________________________________________

(SEATTLE) – Aug. 29, 2013 – Attorneys for sex-abuse victims on Thursday filed a civil lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, alleging that America’s largest youth-serving organization was negligent and failed to protect youth in its care, resulting in the sexual assaults of 12 boys from Washington state. Most of the alleged incidents took place at camps operated by the Boy Scouts

The case, filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, represents the largest number of abusers in a single case filed against the Boy Scouts of America, attorneys say. The case is also the largest lawsuit of its kind to be filed in Washington state against the Boy Scouts. Notably, this lawsuit specifically names as defendants the Boy Scouts’ local chartered organizations, as well as churches, schools and adult volunteers, for failing to protect scouts in their care.

“Think scouting is a safe place for your boy? Think again,” said Tim Kosnoff, victims’ attorney. “The Boy Scouts of America pays lip service to making necessary reforms.

“It remains in deep denial about the scope and severity of pedophiles in its ranks, and that places children at risk.”

Kosnoff  and his law partner, Dan Fasy, now represent more than 100 boys and men nationwide, who are suing the Boy Scouts for injuries stemming from sexual abuse.

“The details are tragic,” Fasy said. “This is a failure on a grand scheme that went on for too long and has affected many, many lives negatively.”

Attorneys say that despite decades of keeping internal files on accused pedophiles, the Scouts routinely failed to report abuse to police or to victims’ parents. That practice allowed sexual predators to remain at large, putting other minors at risk.

“I was scared, I was embarrassed,” said S.O., a former scout member who was sexually abused as a teenager. “This guy was my scout master. Everybody liked him and trusted him.

“Then there was me – an inner city kid. Who would believe me if I say he did this to me?”

Of note in this lawsuit:

  • Only three of 13 accused pedophiles have been criminally prosecuted.
  • Sexual predators “groomed” vulnerable scouts, posed as trusted advisers, took boys alone on outings outside official functions, to movies and parks and, in some instances, gave them alcohol, before assaulting them, court papers say. Abuse included molestation, forced oral sex and anal rape.
  • Ten of 12 victims were abused on campouts. Most of the abuse took place at Boy Scout-operated camps in Western Washington, including Camp Brinkley, Camp Sevenich and Camp Omache in Snohomish, Wash. and Camp Parsons in Brinnon, Wash. in Jefferson County.
  • One named defendant, Jerome “Reggie” Jainga, allegedly molested an inner-city scout member in 1986 and another in 1989. By the early 1990s, Jainga was removed from his paid scouting position following allegations of abusing other scouts, court papers say. Following his ouster, Jainga continued to work with children as an educator.
  • Paid Boy Scout employees, not just volunteers, are also accused of pedophilia. One named defendant, Matthew O. Weed, is a former scout business manager. Weed was accused of molesting three scouts from 1983-1985, internal files from the 1990s show.

The Boy Scouts have refused to take responsibility for injured youth and are actually fighting back hard, Kosnoff said.

In a recent appellate court decision in Washington state handed down in July (N.K. vs. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints et al), the Boy Scouts argued that it had no oversight responsibility for local troops, but rather assigns the entire blame to parents, troop committees, and local Boy Scout-chartered organizations. Local chartered organizations are run by volunteers not trained in conducting background checks, attorneys say.

“The Boy Scout system empowers mom and dad scouting volunteers, those least qualified and least trained to screen out and monitor child molesters bent on entering scouting,” Kosnoff said. “The absurdity of this is that parents and volunteers were not and still are not equipped to protect kids because the Boy Scouts of America withheld from them essential information about its own extensive knowledge of the patterns of infiltration by pedophiles into scouting.”

Between 1971-2009, some 6,500 pedophiles were identified in internal Scout “perversion” files, Kosnoff said. The Boy Scouts destroyed an estimated 15,000 “perversion” files, Kosnoff said, which means that the total number of secret files created by the Boy Scouts remains unknown.

For years, Kosnoff Fasy has advocated for better training of volunteers and swift reporting of abuse claims to police, rather than self-styled investigations or no investigation by the Boy Scouts.

Tim Kosnoff is a former deputy prosecutor and longtime trial lawyer. In the past 16 years, Kosnoff has represented more than 1,000 victims of childhood sex abuse. He has secured more than $250 million in settlements and judgments for sex-abuse victims in cases against the Boy Scouts of America, several Roman Catholic dioceses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Salvation Army, the Jesuits and other religious orders. Kosnoff is frequently interviewed as a legal expert on TV.

Dan Fasy is a partner at Kosnoff Fasy and has represented hundreds of injured clients in cases resulting in millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements. He has represented clients at both the trial and appellate court level. Fasy has served as a key negotiator in mediations involving large multiple-plaintiff cases.”

Contact:

Toll free: 855-529-4274
Tim Kosnoff, child sex-abuse attorney: 425-830-8201
Dan Fasy, child sex-abuse attorney: 206-462-4338
Kosnoff Fasy, Seattle office: 206-257-3590

Time for Boy Scouts of America to confront the difference between pedophilia and homosexuality, says Kosnoff Fasy

“SEATTLE, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Attorneys suing the Boy Scouts of America for child sexual abuse and failing to protect children said Thursday that today’s vote to remove a ban on gay scouts will clarify the sharp difference between homosexuality – a preference for members of one’s own sex – and pedophilia, a major crime.

Today’s vote could lead to better safety for children, if the Boy Scouts learn from past mistakes, said Tim Kosnoff , a Seattle attorney who has represented more than more than 100 boys and men sexually victimized within scouting. Kosnoff and his law partner, Dan Fasy , now represent more than 80 clients nationwide suing the Boy Scouts for sexual abuse.

“Parents should not fear gay scouts. They should fear the organization’s refusal and failure to protect their boys from the real threats – sexual predators and an organization that has routinely covered up and not reported crimes to law enforcement.”

During the past decade, Kosnoff studied the Boy Scouts’ historical records, more than 30,000 internal files documenting allegations of child sexual abuse by adult scout volunteers. Kosnoff spent years compiling a database of sex-abuse claims using records from court cases.

Kosnoff found among nearly 50 years of the so-called “perversion files” or “ineligible volunteer” files:

* The problem of sexual abuse in scouting was not related to homosexuality but pedophilia – a completely unrelated phenomenon.

* The overwhelming percentage of files revealed that married men, outwardly “heterosexual men,” are responsible for the vast majority of child sexual victimization within scouting.

* Abusers often had a past history of being abused themselves as children.

* Teenage gay boys represented a miniscule threat, something found in academic research, as well. (The Boy Scouts themselves consulted four experts in the field of child sexual-abuse prevention, and all four conveyed a nearly universal opinion that homosexuality is not a risk factor for the sexual abuse of children, the Associated Press reported in April.)

“The Boy Scouts have evaded analyzing their own files, to the detriment of children’s safety,” Kosnoff said, noting that pedophiles with prior abuse records were allowed to return to serve as scout leaders.

“The real issue is the Boy Scouts’ refusal and failure to implement reasonable safeguards that will protect all boys from sexual victimization by anyone.”

For years, Kosnoff has advocated for criminal background checks for adult scout volunteers, a “two-deep” leadership rule – mandatory two adults present at all times – and swift reporting of abuse claims to police, rather than self-styled investigations or no investigation by the Boy Scouts.

Gay boys should experience the same benefits that scouting offers to all scouts: honor, dignity, respect, patriotism, and the opportunity to learn leadership and outdoor skills, said Dan Fasy , Kosnoff’s law partner.

Fasy noted that the Boys Scouts of America was chartered by Congress in 1916 and today still receives substantial federal subsidies. Fasy called upon the Boy Scouts of America to stop discriminating or forego taxpayer subsidies.

“It is fundamentally un-American to deny opportunities to some boys,” Fasy said. “It’s just wrong.”

Tim Kosnoff is a former deputy prosecutor and longtime trial lawyer. In the past 16 years, Kosnoff has represented more than 1,000 victims of childhood sex abuse. He has secured over $250 million in settlements and judgments for abuse survivors.

Dan Fasy is a partner at Kosnoff Fasy and has represented hundreds of injured clients.

Contact:
Tim Kosnoff , child sexual-abuse attorney/legal expert: 425-830-8201
Dan Fasy , child sexual-abuse attorney/legal expert: 206-462-4338″

Source:PR Newswire  

Hint for Boy Scout Officials: When Attempting Damage Control, Excluding the Press and Public from a ‘Safety’ Conference Doesn’t Help

By TIM KOSNOFF

As this is written a gathering is underway in Atlanta, where the Boy Scouts of America is convening other youth-oriented groups at a symposium concerning child sex-abuse prevention

I wish the event signaled enlightenment on the part of the host organization. Alas, the one-day gathering is, in effect, being held in the dark. BSA officials have made it a closed-door event, meaning members of the press won’t be directly privy to what is — and isn’t — discussed by participants.

BSA is still in denial and is trying to deceive the public once again. The secret symposium, then, would seem to be a (the reader will pardon the expression) perversion of the spirit of openness that is supposed to be prevailing at an organization excoriated near and far by the millions who have read the sordid details of the BSA’s so-called “perversion files.” The organization’s leaders, of course, characterize the Atlanta gathering as a chance to bring together interested parties such as YMCA and Big Brothers Big Sisters officials to address the pressing need for oversight where children’s safety and well-being are concerned. Would it have occurred to BSA leaders that, in the wake of the tsunami of the bad publicity with which the organization has been deluged, we all have become interested parties?

At the very least we know that the Nov. 1 event had been in planning stages for nearly a year. Such becomes something of a tacit acknowledgement (or admission) by BSA officials that the organization would need to be in high crisis-management mode nearly immediately after what would be the Oct. 18 release of the once-secret files.

A report from the Huffington Post observes:

“The Boy Scouts have been criticized for a lack of transparency in the ways they deal with sex abuse allegations. They have fought to keep their so-called “perversion files” confidential, and those files reveal many cases where the Scouts failed to protect youths from pedophiles.

“The public is excluded from the Thursday symposium, but the organization says that will encourage candid discussion among participants.

“Michael Johnson, a former police detective hired by the Scouts in 2010 as national director of youth protection, has been the key organizer of the symposium, calling it a ‘groundbreaking opportunity’ for groups serving more than 17 million youngsters to discuss their shared challenges and anti-abuse strategies.

“‘Crazy as it sounds, this hasn’t been done before,’ Johnson said.’”

“Crazy” would indeed seem to be the operative term here. Indeed, much of the discussion at the event is supposed to be about how information about known or suspected pedophiles can be shared by youth-group officials. Wouldn’t it logically follow, then, in the spirit of sharing, that the information discussed at the symposium be shared with the press and, hence, the public?

“‘This information is an incredible tool that might be helpful to other organizations, but where is the legislation that allows this to be shared amongst us?’ Johnson is quoted by the HuffPost. ‘We want kids to be safe. We don’t mean to be defensive. But it is complicated.’”

It’s further complicated by the absence of public scrutiny, much less public input to the proceedings.

Suzanna Tiapula, director of the National District Attorneys Association’s National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, was named to lead a discussion about information-sharing. She said she finds the BSA effort to be praiseworthy.

Other officials said the press exclusion for the event was intended to encourage frank discussion. But how soon will aspects of this candid gathering become known to a broader audience? A similar gathering at Penn State earlier this week was widely covered by media so we know what was said and done at the event.

According to the HuffPost, BSA “conference organizers plan to summarize the conclusions of the meeting for a report that will be made available to other youth-serving organizations that did not participate.”

As to when the information would be forthcoming so one imagines it’s anybody’s guess. Knowing how long the BSA stalled the release of the perversion files, the symposium reports could be weeks, months or years from now.

If someone you know needs help, you can contact us:

Our attorneys are highly experienced in childhood sexual abuse law and offer free initial consultations to potential clients. We are also willing to assist other attorneys in sexual abuse cases. Please call 206-257-3590, or email us directly. Conversations will be kept confidential, and even if you are unsure about a lawsuit, often we can direct you to the assistance you need. You will be treated with compassion and respect.

Toll free: 855-529-4274
Tim Kosnoff, direct: 425-837-9690
Dan Fasy, direct: 206-462-4338
Kosnoff Fasy, Seattle office: 206-257-3590

Interest in the Boy Scout ‘Perversion’ Files Won’t Go Away Anytime Soon: Coast to Coast, Reporters Continue to Uncover Hidden Details of Abuse Cases

By: TIM KOSNOFF

We obviously knew a lot of publicity would ensue from the mid-October release of what have become known as the Boy Scout “perversion files.” But the press response has been even more astonishing than many may have imagined.

This is only too appropriate given the equally astonishing volume of sexual-abuse documents long held by the Boy Scouts of America. After a week of reading and viewing BSA-related news reports, the public is becoming familiar with the grim figures: more than 20,000 alleged pedophile crimes by nearly 2,000 scout “leaders” and volunteers.

Such numbers would be staggering even if they represented investigations from the entire century since scout officials surreptitiously began keeping records of child sexual abuse committed by those within the BSA ranks.

But the 6,000 files merely span 1965-1985 released via court order of the Oregon State Supreme Court. (Two weeks ago, I made available to the public on this web site my index of the same records spanning 1971-1991, a project that represents a decade of my time, analyzing and creating annotated notes on alleged perpetrators.

The response to the release of the documents has been somewhat predictable. Those personally unaffected by the crimes committed by adult scout volunteers are nonetheless appalled and infuriated by the reports and sickened once they read of the horrifying details.

Imagine, then, that you actually are a victim of scouting-related pedophilia. Imagine you’re one young scout mentioned in an Oct. 18 CNN news story posted online. This boy joined scouts at age 12 and was sexually abused by his scout leader while helping build a Boy Scout camp on a 42-acre ranch.

What I see in this young man, I see in so many of our clients: The abuse inflicted on these boys has a corrosive effect in which trust, relationship and sexuality issues develop with adulthood. This young man succinctly summarized what so many of our clients tell us: “‘I felt like I was all alone. … Just thinking about it makes me angry … because how could you do that to somebody? How could you bring yourself to do that to somebody who is so innocent and has done nothing wrong?’”

The details of what the public is reading in these files have been magnified by the fact that scout leaders have been aware of these cases for so long without many members of the public being privy to the information.

That obviously has changed. During the week since these stories have aired and been published, countless news stories have continued to pour forth. Coast to coast, victims are demanding answers as they look to find their abuser’s name on the list. News organizations from San Diego to Oklahoma City, Atlanta to Cape Cod, New York to New Orleans, are digging into local cases and asking questions.

Indeed, an NBC-2 report went on line from Florida the day after the Oct. 18 release of files from Portland, Ore. Reporter Dave Elias noted that he discovered six additional cases in Fort Meyers, Florida after I shared with him records from the “ineligible volunteer” files. Elias referenced a trend that’s bothered me:
“The most troubling thing in the files: In over 500 cases where the information came to the scouts first, they didn’t report it to police in 80 percent of the cases,” Kosnoff said.

Wayne Perry, Boy Scouts of America National President, has predictably tried to spin the story, even suggesting that safety concerns are a thing of the past.

“There’s no question that there are times in the past – and these go back to 40-50 years old – where we did not do the job that we should have. For that, and for people hurt, we are profoundly sorry.”

Elias closed his report by noting that victims’ attorneys collectively are calling on Congress to audit whether the BSA’s protections are working.

Given the darkening storm of reporting, it’s doubtful that even — perhaps especially — during a frenetic election season, the reality of the crimes long kept out of view by the Boy Scouts of America will have escaped the attention of many elected officials.

If someone you know needs help, you can contact us:

Our attorneys are highly experienced in childhood sexual abuse law and offer free initial consultations to potential clients. We are also willing to assist other attorneys in sexual abuse cases. Please call 206-257-3590, or email us directly. Conversations will be kept confidential, and even if you are unsure about a lawsuit, often we can direct you to the assistance you need. You will be treated with compassion and respect.

Toll free: 855-529-4274
Tim Kosnoff, direct: 425-837-9690
Dan Fasy, direct: 206-462-4338
Kosnoff Fasy, Seattle office: 206-257-3590

Boy Scouts’ Hidden Files: Documents Highlight The Horrors Of Sexual Abuse Of Children

Editor’s note: This editorial, written by the Anniston Star in Anniston, Alabama, is one of the best editorials we’ve seen on the need for safety reforms in the Boy Scouts of America.

by The Anniston Star Editorial Board

Oct 22, 2012

The Boy Scouts of America own a quality reputation forged by decades of teaching, mentoring and training young American males.

Last week’s shocking news — that Scout leaders kept thousands of pages of “perversion files” about accusations of sexual abuse of young Scouts — has sullied the BSA’s reputation and forced BSA leaders to address nearly a century of inexcusable actions.
Embedded in nearly 15,000 pages of documents made public are two main issues: (1.) the voluminous amount of reports of accusations of abuse, (2.) and the fact that BSA officials, law enforcement and others spent decades protecting the Scouts’ brand by keeping these files and the charges within them hidden from public scrutiny.

As seen earlier this year in the child-abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, sexual molestation of vulnerable youths is a despicable, disgusting crime. Sandusky, who mentored children through his nonprofit group The Second Mile, is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence after being found guilty of 10 counts of child abuse. We’re deeply saddened by what may prove to be another painful disclosure of child sex abuse in the United States.

The Scouts’ “perversion files” are on a different level. Instead of one potential offender, the Scouts’ files document numerous claims of molestation of Scouts, often by those who wore a Scouting uniform. It buckles one’s knees to think that this many people in positions of power and influence chose Scouting’s popularity over the protection of children — not to mention the prosecution of potential criminals.

These files are damning. According to the Associated Press, “[T]here’s at least one memo from a local Scouting executive pleading for better guidance on how to handle abuse allegations. Sometimes the pleading went the other way, with national headquarters begging local leaders for information on suspected abusers, and the locals dragging their feet …

“But one of the most startling revelations to come from the files is the frequency with which attempts to protect Scouts from molesters collapsed at the local level, at times in collusion with community leaders.”

Our thoughts today don’t center solely on the Boy Scouts of America. Instead, we’re moved by the recurring instances of men in power — such as coaches and priests — who get their sexual fun by abusing children within their care. Whether it’s the Catholic church, the Penn State scandal or these allegations in the Boy Scouts’ files, it is time this nation takes a more serious, proactive approach on protecting children from those who would molest them.

Whatever we’re doing isn’t working.

These Boy Scout allegations are bad enough by themselves. But they show — harshly — what happens when adults put anything above the protection of a child. In that sense, enablers are as guilty as molesters themselves.

Further reading:

http://annistonstar.com/view/full_story/20576388/article-Boy-Scouts%E2%80%99-hidden-files–Documents-highlight-the-horrors-of-sexual-abuse-of-children?instance=opinion_lead
If someone you know needs help, you can contact us:

Our attorneys are highly experienced in childhood sexual abuse law and offer free initial consultations to potential clients. We are also willing to assist other attorneys in sexual abuse cases. Please call 206-257-3590, or email us directly. Conversations will be kept confidential, and even if you are unsure about a lawsuit, often we can direct you to the assistance you need. You will be treated with compassion and respect.

Toll free: 855-529-4274

Tim Kosnoff, direct: 425-837-9690

Dan Fasy, direct: 206-462-4338

Seattle office: 206-257-3590

Kosnoff Fasy

The ‘Double Moral Failure’ of the Boy Scouts of America

As far as the crimes themselves go, there’s virtually no difference between sexual abuse committed against children by members of one institution versus similar acts committed by leaders of another. Officials who have been privy to such behavior are equally guilty.

There is, however, a significant moral difference among such officials when it comes to a willingness to offer prompt outreach to victims who have come forward or have otherwise been identified.
The Catholic Church, for instance, has offered counseling services to victims. The Boy Scouts of America however, has not been forthcoming in offering counseling services to victims.

The matter comes up now because someone recently asked me whether I’m aware of BSA ever making such outreach efforts.

BSA officials have never offered counseling to my clients, and I have never heard of it being offered to any other scout victims. They always make victims sue.

In my opinion, this is the most despicable aspect of BSA’s behavior: refusing to reach out to those boys it knew had been raped by adult leaders in its program, most ironic for an organization supposedly built on service and helping others.

The saddest thing about it is that child-sexual-abuse therapists, psychologists and researchers say that early intervention with the sexually abused child almost always greatly ameliorates the effects. They say that prompt intervention is closely associated with positive (or at least less negative) long-term outcomes for the child in adulthood. That is, in part, aside from public safety, the reason why mandatory child-abuse reporting laws — and, especially, their vigorous enforcement — are so critical.

BSA officials are, of course, only too aware of the ameliorative possibilities of prompt professional therapy. For years health-care professionals have been emphasizing such benefits. Clearly BSA officials don’t care. Why else would they persistently refuse to insist upon giving victims the treatment that health professionals say is so valuable and vital?

The answer would seem to get down to the core priorities of an organization that has leaders far more interested in minimizing damage to the institution than in helping victims have the chance to begin the healing process. Such a priority amounts to a double moral failure, behavior that also ironically contradicts the doctrine BSA leaders have been touting to young people for the past century, to wit:

“The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”

“Scout law” emphasizes telling the truth, helping others, being gentle, never harming others and obeying the law.

Few would dispute that such a code of conduct represents an exemplary lesson in morality. Untold numbers of youths have found such doctrine ennobling and enriching, and many who have benefited from the Boy Scout experience have gone on to perpetuate the activity as scout leaders.

Many others have been sexual predators and/or enablers. Would that the lessons of the salutary scout code extended beyond “young people” and applied to the elders who have been participants in and witnesses to the sexual abuse of generations of children.

By TIM KOSNOFF

If someone you know needs help, you can contact us:

Our attorneys are highly experienced in childhood sexual abuse law and offer free initial consultations to potential clients. We are also willing to assist other attorneys in sexual abuse cases. Please call 206-257-3590, or email us directly. Conversations will be kept confidential, and even if you are unsure about a lawsuit, often we can direct you to the assistance you need. You will be treated with compassion and respect.

Toll free: 855-529-4274

Tim Kosnoff, direct: 206-453-0580
Dan Fasy, direct: 206-462-4338
Kosnoff Fasy, Seattle office: 206-257-3590

Pedophile Rings Hiding in Plain Sight

It’s been scarcely a month since the findings about Penn State’s transgressions pertaining to convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky were revealed in their harrowing detail. That the former assistant coach of the Nittany Lions football program was convicted on 45 of 48 counts and likely will never have a life outside of prison may have mollified the majority of observers sickened by the ordeal and, perhaps, ready to move on.
But it might not yet be time to turn the page on Sandusky. Reports have been surfacing that the ex-coach and founder of the dubious youth-oriented charity Second Mile may well have been part of a broad ring of pedophiles. Indeed, if reports are true the ring may have included wealthy and/or well-connected men who are otherwise highly regarded in business, politics and other professions.

Last November journalist Victor Thorn wrote a piece for American Free Press headlined The Far-reaching Implications of the PSU Child-abuse Scandal. The story addressed the likelihood of a Pennsylvania-based pedophile ring.

On July 22 Thorn was back interviewing Greg Bucceroni, a police officer working for Philadelphia schools. Bucceroni, who also volunteers for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, is quoted by Thorn recalling:
“In 1979 and 1980—when I was 13 and 14 years old—a well-connected pedophile named Edward Savitz took me on trips from Philadelphia to TSM fundraisers. I knew the minute I got there it was a breeding ground because of Savitz’s involvement. While [Jerry] Sandusky interacted with wealthy donors, the other men were sizing-up kids. I felt like a cheap whore because I was in these naked pictures that Savitz was passing around.”
When Thorn asked Bucceroni how certain he is about his recollections, the police officer replied: “I’m sure of it. Savitz talked about taking kids from Philly to TSM and introducing them to men—soliciting them to ‘his friends.’ They exchanged and swapped kids like baseball cards. It was a feeding frenzy. I felt like a prostitute or a go-go dancer at a bachelor party. I felt dirty, used and cheap.”

Savitz had been the subject of a sordid 1992 Time magazine story , part of which reads:
“To the teenage boys who visited his apartment near Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square, Ed Savitz was an easy client who paid $15 for oral sex and had a fetish for soiled underwear and socks. Health and law-enforcement officials fear that Savitz was also a walking AIDS time bomb. The 50-year-old actuary, who was arrested and charged with sexual abuse of children last month, has admitted that he has had AIDS for one year.”
Savitz succumbed to AIDS a year after the Time article.

New pedophile-ring information is bound to continue surfacing in the wake of the Sandusky convictions. Alleged victims such as Bucceroni will feel emboldened to reveal their painful recollections. In this way, not only will many victims be able to help ease their own emotional burdens. They’ll also help reveal and bring to justice what could be hundreds, perhaps thousands of pedophiles hiding in plain sight behind their public facades of upright character.

For further reading you can visit the Huffington Post.

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Boy Scouts Sexual Abuse Files

For decades, the Boy Scouts of America kept secret files of accused pedophiles to ban them from volunteering in troops around the country.

An Oregon Supreme Court decision to release 20,000 pages of files about molested Boy Scouts likely will have two effects: First, it will continue to embarrass the 102-year-old Boy Scouts of America, which has worked vigorously to distance itself from a dark chapter in its past.

Second, because the files outline a widespread problem of child sex abuse and the organization’s attempts to cover it up — the ruling could open the floodgates of litigation. Attorneys of men who were abused as Scouts will have precisely the evidence they need to sue the Texas-based youth organization for many millions of dollars in punitive damages, legal experts say.

BREAKING NEWS: Court forces Boy Scouts to release secret files.

20,000 Pages Of Boy Scouts’ ‘Perversion Files’ Ordered Opened In Oregon
Decades of Boy Scout Abuse will be uncovered.
The Boy Scouts of America, which had fought to keep the documents from being made public, said the files were “maintained to keep out individuals whose actions are inconsistent with the standards of Scouting, and Scouts are safer because those files exist.”

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday approved the release of 20,000 pages of so-called perversion files compiled by the Boy Scouts of America on suspected child molesters within the organization for more than 20 years, giving the public its first chance to review the records.

The files, gathered from 1965 to 1985, came to light when they were used as evidence in a landmark Oregon lawsuit in 2010. A jury awarded a record $18.5 million to a man who was molested by an assistant scoutmaster in the early 1980s, ruling that the Scouts failed to protect him.

The case drew attention to the organization’s efforts to keep child molesters out of its leadership ranks. The files contain accusations against Scout leaders ranging from child abuse to lesser offenses that would prohibit them from working in the Scouts.

The organization, headquartered in Irving, Texas, say the files have succeeded in keeping molesters out of the Scouts. The group fought to keep the files sealed in the Oregon case, but a judge ruled that since they became public record when they were used at trial, prompting the organization to appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court.

The Scouts argued opening the files could affect those who were suspected but never convicted of abuse. The organization also said that if the information were to go public, it could prejudice potential jurors in future trials.

Media organizations, including the Associated Press, The Oregonian, The New York Times, Oregon Public Broadcasting, KGW-TV, and Courthouse News Service had challenged the Scouts’ effort to keep the files under seal.

After the ruling Thursday, the organization said in a statement that the “Scouts are safer because those files exist.”

“While we respect the court, we are still concerned that the release of two decades’ worth of confidential files into public view, even with the redactions indicated, may still negatively impact victims’ privacy and have a chilling effect on the reporting of abuse,” the Scouts said.

The 20,000 pages — representing files on 1,200 people — are part of a larger trove of confidential documents the Boy Scouts began compiling decades ago. The New York Times reported the Scouts had 2,910 “cards” on men who were unfit to supervise boys by 1935.

Scout executives had no written guidelines on the subject until 1972, when a memo urged them to keep such files confidential “because of misunderstandings which could develop if it were widely distributed.”

A Multnomah County judge earlier ruled that the names of alleged victims and the people who made the accusations should be kept private. The Oregon Supreme Court agreed, saying that such redactions would “prevent undue injury and embarrassment to innocent persons that likely would result from public disclosure of the names in the exhibits.”

It was unclear when the files would be made public, since the names will need to be redacted by hand by attorneys from either side and sent for approval. A timeline for those meetings and the redactions has yet to be set. Attorneys in about 30 other cases nationwide also were seeking the contents of the files.

Paul Mones, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs in the underlying case, said the files reveal “poignant and disturbing” details.

“These files were integral to the jury finding that the BSA failed to use its vast knowledge of sexual predators to protect its Scouts,” Mones said. “Though the BSA has improved its youth protection policies in recent years, the tragic legacy of the abuse of untold numbers of boys remains.”

The state Supreme Court was cautious in limiting the scope of its opinion, noting that allowing the media and public to review trial exhibits may not be the correct decision in every case.

An attorney for the media companies, Charles Hinkle, said he was disappointed that the court’s ruling “does not guarantee that the public has a right to see the evidence that a jury sees when it decides a case.”

Hinkle said that could discourage live testimony in favor of written or video testimony, reducing the public’s opportunity to know the facts on which a decision is based.

The Scouts have faced numerous lawsuits by men who say they were molested as children by Scout leaders, including the case that resulted in the landmark ruling. In that lawsuit, an Oregon jury awarded $18.5 million — the largest payment awarded in a BSA involving the Scouts — to Kerry Lewis, the victim of sex abuse by a former assistant scoutmaster in Portland.

The jury decided the Boy Scouts were negligent for allowing former assistant scoutmaster Timur Dykes to associate with Scouts, including Lewis, after Dykes admitted to a Scouts official in 1983 that he had molested 17 boys, according to court records. Lewis’ attorneys argued that the Scouts should have opened the perversion files decades ago.

During that case, the state Supreme Court allowed the jury to look at about 1,000 of the files.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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