Louis C.K. accused of sexual misconduct
in bombshell report
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) Comedic actor Louis C.K. became the latest actor embroiled in a sex scandal on Thursday when the New York Times published a report with allegations from five women.
The women alleged that C.K. acted inappropriately, including masturbating in front of them.
What is that? Weinstein did that on several occasions. Why? There must be something very disturbing going on in a guy's head to make him want to do that. How pathetic!
Comedy duo, Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov alleged that in 2002, C.K. exposed himself to them after inviting them to hang out in his hotel room.
"He proceeded to take all of his clothes off, and get completely naked, and started masturbating," Goodman told the New York Times.
Three other women alleged separate acts of sexual misconduct.
CNN has not confirmed the women's stories independently and has reached out to representatives for C.K. for comment. His publicist Lewis Kay told the Times that the comedian "is not going to answer any questions."
It's not the first time there has been talk in the press about C.K. and inappropriate behavior.
In 2015, Gawker published a story titled "Louis C.K. Will Call You Up to Talk About His Alleged Sexual Misconduct," which included allegations that the comic exposed himself and masturbated in front of female comedians who were not named in the story.
A year later, Roseanne Barr told the Daily Beast she was aware of the stories about C.K.'s alleged behavior. "It's Louis C.K., locking the door and masturbating in front of women comics and writers," she said. "I can't tell you—I've heard so many stories."
In August comic Tig Notaro talked to the Daily Beast about C.K., who serves as executive producer of her Amazon series, "One Mississippi." She sought to distance herself and her series -- which included a storyline about sexual assault -- from C.K.
"It's frustrating, because he has nothing to do with the show," Notaro said. The premiere for Louis C.K.'s new film, "I Love You, Daddy" was abruptly canceled on Thursday. "Due to unexpected circumstances, tonight's event for 'I Love You, Daddy' has been cancelled," the film's production company, The Orchard, said in a statement. The New York premiere was set to take place at the Paris Theatre.
C.K. wrote, directed, financed and starred in the dramedy about a TV writer-producer attempting to put the breaks on a burgeoning relationship between his under aged daughter, played by Chloe Grace Moretz and a 68-year-old filmmaker played by the actor John Malkovich.
The film stirred controversy in September after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival for its dialogue, which included the liberal use of "the n-word" and child rape jokes as well as the seeming semblance to sex abuse allegations against filmmaker Woody Allen.
Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow has accused him of molesting her as a child. Allen has denied the allegations. The director famously wed his former adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, who is 35 years his junior.
"Woody is an ingredient, along with a whole other generation of dudes who used to go up and down the age line a lot more easily," C.K. told The Hollywood Reporter in September. "I grew up with that. [Allen's 1979 comedy] Manhattan is a movie I saw as a kid, and I was like, 'OK, that's what people do.'"
C.K.'s appearance on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was also nixed. The comedian was set to appear on the Thursday show but was replaced by William H. Macy on Wednesday evening.
Brother of rapper Nicki Minaj, guilty of child rape
By Bridget Murphy
Jurors on Thursday convicted rapper Nicki Minaj’s brother of sexually assaulting his former stepdaughter in a Baldwin home, after a monthlong trial in which the defense claimed the allegations were invented to try to extort $25 million from the man’s famous sister.
Jelani Maraj, 38, of Baldwin, now faces up to life in prison following his convictions in Nassau County Court on predatory sexual assault on a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
Court officers took Maraj, who had been free on bond and showed no emotion after the verdict, into custody after state Supreme Court Justice Robert McDonald ordered him held without bail in Nassau County’s jail.
Prosecutors had told jurors Maraj began abusing the victim when she was 11, raping her repeatedly between April and November 2015 while her mother was at work.
Now 14, the victim testified Maraj would call her “his puppet” and tell her she had “no say” in what he did to her. She said Maraj slapped her if she refused his sexual advances, threatening that she would be taken away from her mother if she told anyone about the abuse.
The defense had claimed the girl’s mother had beaten her and her younger brother to get them to go along with a fabricated sex abuse tale the woman made up in an attempted $25 million shakedown of Maraj’s celebrity musician sister.
Maraj’s Garden City attorney, David Schwartz, also told jurors the girl’s mother contacted Nicki Minaj after Maraj’s arrest and relayed “if she was paid $25 million, these charges could just go away.”
The victim testified that her account had nothing to do with money and wasn’t motivated by beatings from her mother.
Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement after the verdict that “justice demanded” Maraj “be held accountable for these heinous acts,” and she hoped the verdict would help the victim and her family “close this terrible chapter in their lives.”
Juror Arthur Naclerio, 67, of Massapequa, said the victim’s testimony was the most convincing piece of evidence, and it was “not hard” for the jury to reach its verdict.
Schwartz said his client would file an appeal, adding: “The amount of evidence that we had that wasn’t allowed in this case is unbelievable.”
In her testimony, Maraj’s former wife rebuffed claims of an extortion plot and denied forcing her children to go along with a made-up tale of abuse, while admitting to beating her children at times and drinking alcohol excessively in 2015.
The girl’s brother, now 10, testified he saw Maraj’s “private parts” touching his sister after walking into a bedroom in 2015 and seeing them both partially unclothed. Prosecutor Emma Slane told jurors the brother “unlocked a massive ugly secret” when he later revealed what he had seen to a child protection worker after his sister sparked an investigation while speaking to a school counselor in November 2015.
A scientist who testified for the prosecution said a stain on a pair of the victim’s pajama pants was a 1 in 291 billion match to Maraj’s DNA profile.
Maraj’s mother, Carol Maraj, who declined to comment after the verdict, said in her testimony for the defense that her son’s then-wife made a comment she perceived as an extortion threat while driving her to court following her son’s Dec. 1, 2015, arrest, telling her: “It’s gonna take lots of money to get out of this one.”
A Manhattan civil attorney also testified under defense subpoena he demanded $25 million from Maraj’s prior law firm in March 2016 to resolve the civil side of the case after the girl’s mother hired him to seek damages. He added that the demand was rejected, and his firm never filed a lawsuit because they got fired.
Naclerio said the jury didn’t believe a shakedown happened.
Activists want priest accused of child sex abuse
removed from NY church
By NY1 News
Attorneys are calling on Cardinal Dolan to remove a priest accused of sexually abusing two children in the Bronx.
Lawyers Helping Survivors of Child Sex Abuse held a press conference in Midtown Thursday asking Father Lawrence J. Quinn be removed from service at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Upper Manhattan.
He's accused of abusing children while assigned to Our Lady of Mercy in Fordham Heights between 1990 to 2001.
Attorneys for survivors of clergy sex abuse say the archdiocese needs to do more to protect children.
"Protecting kids has to be our top priority, under every circumstance," said attorney Patrick Noaker.
"It's not just about compensating victims of child sexual abuse," said attorney Jessica Arbour. "It's about protecting kids so there are no more victims. We will not stand by and allow more kids to be put at risk, even though it looks like the archdiocese does."
The Archdiocese of New York says they do not comment on specific sex abuse claims, and there have been no previous complaints against Quinn.
It's a pity the Cardinal has to be asked to remove a priest accused of child sex abuse. It should be automatic and instant.
Alaska child abuser sentenced Wednesday to 13 years
for "heinous" crime
By DAVE BENDINGER
Caylen P. Kalmakoff, 23, was given more than the presumptive range for abusing a young child in 2015. Judge Gregory Miller handed down the sentence after a hearing in Naknek Wednesday.
Caylen Peyton Kalmakoff will spend all of his twenties in state prison. The 23-year-old has been in custody since his June, 2015 arrest, and Judge Gregory Miller sentenced him to 13 years of active jail time Wednesday.
Kalmakoff sexually abused a child under the age of 10. The crime occurred in a Chignik community in the summer of 2015, and state troopers finished an investigation within weeks. Troopers monitored a phone call with a family member of the victim where Kalmakoff admitted to the abuse, and he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge last May.
On Wednesday there was no dispute about the horrible nature of what Kalmakoff did to the young child. “In the scheme of sex crimes, it doesn’t get much more heinous than that,” said Judge Miller.
A grand jury indicted Kalmakoff on a charge of first degree sexual abuse a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 99 years in jail. He took a plea deal to second degree sexual abuse of a minor, though the state still sought the presumptive 25-35 year sentence attached to the higher charge.
Assistant district attorney James Klugman prosecuted the case.
“When you look at the circumstances of what happened in the context of sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual violence in Alaska generally and rural Alaska in particular, the sentence that’s being requested by the defense I think unacceptably minimizes the seriousness of the offense and the harm,” he said.
Attorney Chris Lesch with the Public Defenders Agency recommended a sentence of 15 years with 10 suspended, leaving five to serve for his client. He said this would offer an appropriate amount of time for Kalmakoff to complete meaningful treatment in prison so he does not re-offend after his release.
It would also mean his victim is still a child when he gets out. Not acceptable!
Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Bruce Smith was asked to testify about Kalmakoff’s potential for rehabilitation, and about the young man’s understanding of his own actions.
“The thinking process for Mr. Kalmakoff, and my findings to that point, were that he’s very immature in his perspective on life. He presents a victim stance in his thinking, and this, combined with his lack of adequate social skills for addressing his needs for companionship and sexual release, were likely twin factors that drove his offending behavior,” he said.
A member of the victim’s family admittedly struggled for words as he asked the judge for a long jail sentence and that Kalmakoff never be allowed contact with the victim again.
The hearing last more than an hour and a half Wednesday. Judge Miller acknowledged that Kalmakoff said he himself had been a victim of sexual abuse at a young age. But Miller also leaned on some of Kalmakoff’s arguably disturbing statements in the recent psychological evaluations and the presentence report as he offered his opinion that the young man was not ready for a safe return to society.
“Just warehousing someone doesn’t work to help the offender or the public. Nonetheless, I have few assurances in anything presented here today that you’re not a risk to reoffending.”
In crafting his sentence, Miller focused in part on sending a message to the community that state authorities, including the legislature and courts, strongly condemn this type of sexual violence.
“I’m going to sentence you above the max,” he said, which he could do because of the aggravated nature of the crime. “I’m going to give you 17 years, four of those years are suspended, leaving 13 years to serve. That’s at the high end of this range, the very high end of the presumptive range.”
When he is released in about a decade, Kalmakoff will spend 7 years on probation and will be required to register as a sex offender for the next 15 years.
North Carolina death investigation leads to discovery of child sexual abuse
By Ed Crump
GARNER, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A man found dead on the side of the road, and a woman charged with child abuse in an adjacent mobile home park are apparently somehow connected but investigators aren't saying how.
The Wake Sheriff's Office says it got calls Wednesday about a body in a ditch on the side of Old Stage Road right outside the entrance to the Green Spring Valley mobile home park.
Hours after they began their investigation they put up crime scene tape around one of the mobile homes inside the park. It's the home of April Murray.
Sheriff's investigators arrested her but did not charge her in connection with the death of the man in the ditch now identified as 34-year old Kevin Edward Thomas. Instead, an arrest warrant shows she is charged with neglecting to report the sexual abuse of her 22-month old son.
The warrant in stark terms says the boy was injured in an apparent sex assault.
"It does scare me 'cause, I don't know, a dead body like almost beside my home is crazy," said neighbor Mariela Amaya.
Amaya, the mother of a 26-month-old, added, "And child abuse. It's more crazy."
Amaya says her husband found Murray's toddler son wandering around outside unsupervised a few weeks ago and took the little boy home.
Murray faced a judge for the first time in a Wake County courtroom this afternoon. During the brief hearing, a prosecutor told the judge Murray has an "extensive" criminal record in Florida including a current order for her arrest. Most of the charges appear to be drug charges. The only violent charges involve resisting a police officer.
The prosecutor also said statements made by Murray also indicated she might be a flight risk.
Murray responded by saying, "I didn't know I was getting arrested. If I knew that I wouldn't have made the statement that I was going to my family." But the judge cut her off saying she shouldn't talk about the facts of the case.
No other information was revealed that would explain any connection between Murray, the dead man, and the child abuse charges.
Illinois man sentenced to 25 years for
sex abuse of girl, 11
Victim's mother: 'He has sentenced my daughter to a life
full of pain and horrific memories'
Graham Milldrum Daily News
A judge on Thursday sentenced an Effingham man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl to 25 years in prison.
Dennis Moulton, 34, had pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony. The sentence would normally range from six to 60 years in prison, but a plea agreement capped the sentence to a maximum of 30 years.
The victim told investigators she was abused by Moulton numerous times over an 18-month to two-year period. Her mother described her as "emotionally devastated," adding that the girl has anxiety, panic attacks and migraines as a result.
Even smelling food that Moulton used to prepare triggers panic attacks, the mother said. The stress also causes trouble with the mother's PTSD and the ongoing legal struggle has made it impossible to maintain work, she said.
"He has sentenced my daughter to a life full of pain and horrific memories," the mother told the judge.
The matter came to police attention when the girl told a friend during her fifth and sixth grade years. The information made its way to school authorities, who contacted law enforcement.
Detective Travis Monnet of the Effingham County Sheriff's Office was among the investigators. The girl told Monnet it was "happening over the weekends for a very long time," he testified.
Monnet testified that Moulton explained it was acceptable to the girl "because his family members had done it to him."
When deputies searched the bedroom, they found bodily fluids on the bed, sheets and carpet, Monnet testified. Moulton called law enforcement the day after the search, saying he and his wife had lived in that room, which would explain the presence of such fluids.
He tried to arrange an immediate interview, but investigators told him they required more time for the materials sent to the lab to return. Moulton turned himself in eight days after the accusations were made, ultimately confessing during an interview with police.
During that interview, he said the girl had initiated all the encounters. Moulton agreed that punishment was required in his statement to the court.
"I knew I wanted to tell the truth," he said, explaining his trip to the police station. "But I don't deserve 30 years, your honor. I deserve a chance to right my wrong."
The defense called one witness, Matthew Hoffman, a longtime friend of Moulton's. "He's not the monster people make him out to be," Hoffman said.
Hoffman called Moulton a great family man, working to improve family homes and defeating a serious alcohol addiction. Hoffman requested that, during his prison sentence, Moulton receive treatment for any underlying issues.
Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler argued that Moulton deserved more time in prison, but prosecutors had opted to prevent forcing the girl to testify in open court. Judge Alan Lollie agreed, noting that authorities could have charged Moulton with at least 11 counts of the same offense, putting the minimum sentence at 66 years.
Lollie said there were many victims as a result of Moulton's actions, including the family members present. And the most injured was the girl, Lollie said. "The child was violated in every way possible," Lollie said.
After his release, Moulton will serve between three years and life on mandatory supervised release. He'll be required to register as a sexual predator for life.
Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore labels child sex abuse claims 'the very definition of fake news'
TOM POWELL
The Evening Standard
A Republican candidate for the US Senate has denied allegations that he made inappropriate sexual advances towards a 14-year-old girl – dismissing them as “fake news”.
Roy Moore, the nominee in Alabama, called the Washington Post report "the very definition of fake news and intentional defamation".
Senior Republicans swiftly called for Mr Moore to step aside if the allegations are shown to be true. "The allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore are deeply troubling," said Colorado Senate chairman Cory Gardner, who leads the party's Senate campaign arm. "If these allegations are found to be true, Roy Moore must drop out of the Alabama special Senate election."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell added: "If these allegations are true, he must step aside."
The Moore campaign's statement said: "Judge Roy Moore has endured the most outlandish attacks on any candidate in the modern political arena, but this story in today's Washington Post alleging sexual impropriety takes the cake."
The statement noted that Mr Moore has been married to the same woman for 33 years and has four children and five grandchildren.
The Moore campaign continued: "After over 40 years of public service, if any of these allegations were true, they would have been made public long before now."
The incidents are alleged to have taken place when Mr Moore, the 70-year-old former state Supreme Court judge, was serving as an assistant district attorney in his early 30s, according to the Post.
The newspaper reports that Mr Moore, then 32, first approached 14-year-old Leigh Corfman in early 1979 outside a courtroom in Etowah county, Alabama.
Mr Moore won the right to represent the Republicans in the December 12 special election after surviving a bruising primary election that divided the party, including President Donald Trump and his former chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Mr Trump backed Senator Luther Strange in the contest, while Mr Bannon and much of the far-right portion of the party backed Mr Moore.
Alabama law lists the legal age of consent as 16. In Alabama, the statute of limitations for bringing felony charges involving sexual abuse of a minor in 1979 would have run out three years later.
Ms Corfman never filed a police report or a civil suit, the Post said.
Etowah Co., AL
Oklahoma man charged with child sexual abuse
By Tim Ahrens tahrens@stwnewspress.com
A Perkins man posted $75,000 bond after a warrant was put out for his arrest in connection to allegations of child sexual abuse the man committed against a juvenile girl between 2005 and 2012 at a home in rural Stillwater.
Kevin Cluck, 38, has retained Cheryl Ramsey as his defense counsel and appeared Thursday for his initial court appearance. Cluck is being charged after a 19-year-old woman reported to the Payne County Sheriff's Office that Cluck molested her on numerous occasions "from about her age of 7 and continued until her age of about 12," according to the filed affidavit. She said the alleged incidents included "consensual understanding that it was OK to be doing these things. There were never any threats ... it was their secret with mutual consent directed by Kevin (Cluck)."
The woman alleged several instances of her performing oral sex on Cluck, and that he fondled her at times and had her remove her clothes and he would as well. The woman said she asked Cluck in May why he had molested her and recorded the conversation without his knowledge. The sheriff's deputy writes in the affidavit that Cluck says in the recording "that he did not have a great excuse other than he did not want her to get curious with anybody else and just wanted to protect her."
"'I can't deny what she said at the beginning,'" Cluck told PCSO deputies on Oct. 30, according to the affidavit. Cluck said he caught the girl performing oral sex on her brother once and spoke with her, and Cluck acknowledged the girl performed oral sex on him as well.
"'She actually did at times, I don't recall how many times to be honest,'" Cluck told the deputies. He also said "he did nothing (about her performing oral sex on him) because he didn't know what to do and was scared of becoming the bad guy."
Too late. You already were!
Virginia man indicted for sex crimes against minor
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – A Portsmouth man was indicted Monday for committing sex crimes against a minor.
On July 24, detectives with the Portsmouth Police Department Special Victims Unit arrested and charged 36-year-old Antwann Miller with the long-term sexual abuse of a female under the age of 16. Miller was charged with several sex-related crimes including aggravated sexual battery, sexual object penetration and indecent liberties with a child by custodian.
After thoroughly investigating the case, detectives requested additional charges against Miller through indictment. A grand jury certified more than two dozen indictments against Miller for sexual-related crimes to include: two counts of rape, four counts of forcible sodomy, four counts of object sexual penetration, six counts of aggravated sexual battery, six counts of incident liberties with a child by custodian and six counts of indecent liberties with a child.
Miller is currently in the custody of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail.
Portsmouth, VA
Texas foster dad to serve 99 years behind bars
for sex abuse of several small children
Times Record News
VERNON – A Chillicothe man was sentenced to 144 years in prison, including 99 years without parole, for sexually assaulting a child younger than 6 years old.
A Hardeman County jury found Kyle Anderson, 37, guilty of one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and three counts of indecency with a child.
After just over an hour of deliberations, the jury sentenced Anderson to 99 years in prison on the sexual assault and 15 years each on the indecency counts.
On Tuesday afternoon, 46th District Judge Dan Mike Bird stacked the three shorter sentences on top of the 99-year term, meaning Anderson will have to serve the full 99 years before he begins to serve the 15-year sentences – effectively 144 years in prison.
Evidence at the trial showed that the three children made an outcry of sexual abuse on May 22 against Anderson, who was fostering the children along with his wife.
The children – ages 5, 5 and 3 – told Anderson’s wife that he was sexually abusing them while she was not at home. The wife then notified local police and took the children to their foster agency in Wichita Falls.
On May 23, Anderson’s wife made a phone call to Anderson that was recorded by the Texas Rangers. During the call, Anderson admitted to sex acts with all three children.
During the trial, three other girls that had been fostered by Anderson in 2014 also testified against him.
Each of the girls told the jury they were also sexually abused by Anderson when they were in his care. At that time, the girls were 10, 9 and 7 years old.
15 sex crime charges in alleged Indiana
child molesting case
Tori Fater, Courier & Press
An Evansville man has been charged with 15 felonies after allegedly sexually abusing a child he knew for years.
Domingo Ramos, 31, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant.
According to Evansville Police Department, Ramos also goes by the names Domingo Resendiz and Daniel Ramos. He is listed as Domingo Ramos Resendiz in Vanderburgh County Jail booking records and Domingo Ramos in official court documents.
Ramos allegedly forced multiple sexual acts on the child starting when the victim was 9 years old and continuing while they were a teenager.
The victim told investigators Ramos raped them, forced oral sex and inappropriately touched them in secret, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Ramos reportedly told the victim not to tell anyone and that it was “their secret,” an Evansville Police detective wrote in the affidavit. Investigators believe Ramos was at least 21 years old when the abuse began.
Police say Ramos admitted to the sexual abuse during the investigation and apologized to the victim.
He faces the following charges in Vanderburgh Circuit Court:
10 counts of child molesting as a class A felony;
Four counts of sexual misconduct with a minor as a class B felony;
And one count of child molesting as a class C felony.
Ramos’ initial hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday in Circuit Court. Court records show his bond was set at $20,000 cash.
What the charges mean
The charges against Ramos are categorized as felonies Class A through D, with A the most serious felony level, because the alleged crimes happened before July 2014. After July 2014, felonies were classified by Levels 1 through 6, with level 1 felonies the most serious.
Under Indiana law, child molesting charges apply when the alleged victim is younger than 14 years old. Sexual misconduct with a minor charges apply when the alleged victim is at least 14 years old but younger than 16.
Red flags for child abuse
If a child shows sudden changes in behavior or starts withdrawing from their friends and usual hobbies, it may be a sign they are being abused. The Mayo Clinic lists other red flags for physical or sexual abuse online, including:
Depression, anxiety or suddenly having less self-confidence
Attempts to run away
Unusually aggressive, hyperactive or rebellious behavior
Unexplained injuries, or injuries that do not match the child's explanation
Sexual behavior or knowledge that is inappropriate for their age
W. Va. man arrested after admitting to sexually
abusing juvenile family member
By Dalton Hammonds
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man is facing charges after allegedly sexually abusing a juvenile family member.
Kevin Lell, 29, of Huntington, was arrested in Wayne County Thursday morning by U.S. Marshals. He is charged with four counts each of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian to a child and 1st-degree sexual assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim told Huntington police Lell "played" sex with her multiple times over a period of years.
According to the criminal complaint, Lell admitted to the acts when confronted by family. He also apologized for the acts to our camera during his arraignment.
Lell is being held at Western Regional Jail on an $800,000 cash only bond.
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