Over 74,000 alleged sex abuse victims file claims against
the Boy Scouts in court
By Kathianne Boniello, New York Post
November 14, 2020
More than 74,000 sex-abuse accusers are now poised to seek money damages from the Boy Scouts of America ahead of a Monday bankruptcy court deadline, The Post has learned.
The number of accusers far eclipses those who have accused the American Catholic Church, said lawyer Andrew Van Arsdale of the group Abused in Scouting.
“There are over 74,000 claims [for damage] filed as of this morning, and it dwarfs anything we have ever seen in the history of institutional child sexual abuse,” Van Arsdale said Saturday.
Victims have until 5 p.m. Monday to file a money-damages claim against the Boy Scouts in federal bankruptcy court. Another attorney, Jordan Merson of Manhattan firm Merson Law, believed the number of victims had reached more than 73,000.
Lawyer Jason Amala of the firm Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, Amala pegged the number of victims who have come forward at a much lower 61,000 — still a staggering amount of people who claim to have been abused while in Boy Scouts, and far more than the 12,000 victims once tabulated by the organization itself.
NPR had numbered the abuse claims at “more than 60,000” as of Friday.
“Nothing can undo the damage that the Boy Scouts have caused to tens of thousands of survivors across the nation,” Amala told The Post.
“While the passage of the bar date means survivors can’t file claims against the national organization, there's still a chance for survivors to secure justice,” he added.
“Child sex abuse survivors in New York, California, and New Jersey can still take action against BSA local councils and sponsoring organizations so that we finally ensure accountability.”
The number of victims could change as the legal case progresses and the filings are evaluated, said Van Arsdale, who noted there’s always a chance some people unintentionally filed twice.
The Boy Scouts, which declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February as abuse lawsuits began flooding in, said in a statement: “We are devastated by the number of lives impacted by past abuse in Scouting and moved by the bravery of those who came forward. We are heartbroken that we cannot undo their pain.”
=====================================================================================
NYPD Maintenance Department Officer Accused of Sexually Assaulting a Child
According to The New York Post, an NYPD maintenance department cop has been charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child.
In 2019, Shaun Frazier, 40-years-old, was accused of sexually assaulting his best friend’s daughter while babysitting her and her 5-year-old brother. He allegedly asked the girl if he could lick her underwear and told her to come into the room while he was masturbating.
Frazier worked at the NYPD’s building maintenance department for five years. Since the charge of endangering the welfare of a child, he has been suspended without pay.
On the previous charges, Frazier was released without bail, and the case is still pending. The new charge of acting in a manner injurious to a child is separate from the prior allegation. Neither Frazier nor his attorney has commented.
Illinois man accused of child sexual abuse in Nixa
Harrison Keegan
Springfield News-Leader
A man from Illinois is facing a felony charge in Christian County for allegedly sexually abusing a child.
Nicholas Palmer, 31, was charged last week with statutory sodomy, an unclassified felony that carries a possible life sentence.
According to a probable cause statement in the case, a child who is younger than 12 accused Palmer of sexually abusing her on multiple occasions in Nixa.
The girl allegedly reported that she did not come forward sooner because Palmer had threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the abuse.
The statement says a Nixa Police Department officer was able to independently verify that Palmer, who lives in Illinois, was in Nixa during the time frame that the girl had accused him of sexual abuse.
Beaufort Co., SC man charged with 6 counts sexual exploitation of a minor
A Beaufort County man faces charges after authorities say he uploaded images to the Internet showing children being sexually abused.
Andrew Jeremy Reed, 31, of Lobeco, was arrested Tuesday and charged with 6 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor 3rd Degree.
Authorities say Reed uploaded child sexual abuse images to the Internet from computers and/or other electronic devices.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office began investigating after receiving notification from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children initiative that online child sexual abuse images were being uploaded from an address at 95 Morgan Road in Lobeco.
Reed is currently being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center and awaiting a bond hearing.
Anyone who has information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Sergeant Jennifer Snider at 843-255-3421 or Crimestoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111, if wishing to remain anonymous and for possible reward.
Lobeco, SC
Some of the worst stories in America come out of Alabama! Why?
Boy, 14, wished he was dead as ‘family starved and tortured him in basement while they lived upstairs for YEARS’
Laura Gesualdi-Gilmore, The Sun
16 Nov 2020, 3:08
A TEEN boy wished he was dead after his parents starved and tortured him in a basement for years while carrying on a normal life upstairs.
Ethan Kelly, who was hospitalized and rescued from the abusive Alabama home when he was 14 years old, faced his adoptive parents in court for the first time in four years on Thursday.
Ethan shared details of the horrors that led up to his 2016 hospitalization, where he weighed just 55 pounds, was in acute respiratory shock and was unable to speak, according to AL.com.
Richard Kelly Credit: Helena Police Department
"I cried every night and prayed for Jesus to end it all," Ethan said during a sentencing hearing for the Kellys.
The couple pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of child abuse in 2019.
"I'm not who I used to be," Ethan said. "I'm not even who I was supposed to be. I lived the story of Cinderella with no happy ending."
Reports say the family threw a birthday party for the dog while Ethan was kept locked in the basement. Credit: Instagram
The couple reportedly kept Ethan locked in his basement room - which was filthy and had minimal furniture, not even a bed - for 23 hours a day.
Authorities first became aware of Ethan's condition in November 2016, when Richard Kelly brought him to the hospital.
The child was severely malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from shock, hypothermia and hypothyroidism. He was placed on a ventilator for a week, and alarmed doctors contacted child services about his condition.
Reports say that the boy was nearly dead when he arrived at the hospital, but he miraculously recovered.
The Kellys reportedly had two other children living with them at the time Ethan was hospitalized - Tamara and Jacob - as well as a dog. All were apparently taken care of on the upper level of the home - with the family even throwing a birthday party for the dog - while Ethan was confined to the lower level alone, according to AL.com
Eddie Carter has spoken out about the abuse bis brother, Ethan, experienced at the Kelly home. Credit: YouTube
"It all changed when I saw Ethan's bedroom," Helene police Detective Sean Boczar said at the sentencing hearing. "I had to second guess myself that someone was actually living in that room."
The room contained a box spring with no mattress, according to Boczar, and two locks and an alarm outside of the door. There were two windows with dirt-stained curtains, but neither opened.
The teen was reportedly locked up from at least 11pm until morning, when he was granted a supervised trip to the bathroom before being put back in his room. The parents claimed he was homeschooled, though it's unclear how or if Ethan was actually receiving any education.
Ethan was initially adopted with his brother Eddie by the Kellys in 2007, but they sent Eddie away just a year later, claiming they could not deal with his behavioral issues.
Behavioral issues were also the reason the couple gave for why they locked Ethan away, according to reports. They claimed that the boy was destructive and that the family dog would bark at him, which is why he was kept in the secluded room.
They also insisted that they fed the boy twice a day, but controlled his eating because he would "eat too much" if they did not restrict him.
Because Richard and Cynthia Kelly agreed to a plea deal, the judge presiding over the sentencing hearing could only give them a maximum of 10 years behind bars - which he did.
Shelby County Circuit Judge William H Bostick claimed, however, that he would have liked to give them much longer sentences.
"Mr and Mrs Kelly, it was in your best interest to enter a plea to this charge because if I had the authority, I would sentence you to a lot more than a 10-year split-two sentence," Bostick said. "It would be somewhere in the realm of 20 years to life if I weren't constrained by the law," he added.
The couple must serve at least two years in state prison, followed by three years of supervised probation.
I don't understand, where does the 10 years come in if they can be out in two? And why did the DA tie the judge's hands with a plea deal? Surely there was enough evidence to convict at trial. This result stinks. The DA should have to answer for this.
Helene, Al
No comments:
Post a Comment