Mariano Rivera, wife Clara accused in lawsuit of covering up child sex abuse claim
An attorney for the Riveras said in a statement that the allegations are "completely false"
A lawsuit filed last week claims that Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, pressured a young girl to remain silent about her abuse. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
A lawsuit filed this week accused Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, of covering up the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl who was a member of their church in New Rochelle, New York.
Rivera, who was the closer for the New York Yankees for 17 seasons, and his wife are alleged to have "isolated and intimidated" the girl into remaining silent about her abuse to prevent issues for Refuge of Hope, the church the couple helped found, the lawsuit said.
Refuge of Hope is part of the broader Assemblies of God religion and organization.
The lawsuit, filed by the girl, now 17, and her mother, neither of whom is named to protect their privacy, is seeking unspecified damages for negligent supervision and premises liability. The Riveras are identified for their alleged roles but are not named as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, Clara Rivera, who serves as a pastor at the church, told the mother that the girl should take part in a summer internship through Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, another Assemblies of God church.
The complaint alleges that Refuge of Hope paid for the girl to attend and required her to stay in a dormitory with other children without parental supervision. Court documents say that an older female camper, identified in the lawsuit only as "MG," repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl, who was about 11 at the time, in the dorm and shower.
The girl told her mother about the abuse, and the mother then reported her concerns to Clara Rivera, who told the mother that she would investigate and get back to her, the lawsuit said. But the situation was not rectified, court documents say, and the Riveras allegedly told the mother that the girl was “safe and in no danger."
“Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe to remain silent about her abuse by 'MG' to avoid causing trouble for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship,” the complaint states.
The abuse continued at the Riveras' home during a barbecue after the girl returned from the internship, according to the lawsuit. The couple allegedly did not invite parents to the event, only the church's children, and the girl was left unsupervised with "MG," even after the disclosure of the abuse.
The Riveras are accused of failing to take appropriate action and handling the allegations internally to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal, and potential financial losses from allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public information,” the lawsuit reads.
A Refuge of Hope youth leader, Ruben Tavarez Jr., who is the son of an associate pastor, is also accused of abusing the girl in 2021, which included "graphic electronic communications of a sexual nature." It ended when the girl's mother confronted Tavarez, according to the lawsuit.
Last month, affiliates of the Assemblies of God settled three lawsuits that alleged similar abuse of minors. A former staff member of Ignite Life Center entered into a plea agreement in connection with sexual abuse.
Joseph A. Ruta, the Riveras' attorney, released a statement saying that the couple "do not tolerate child abuse of any kind" and that the allegations are "completely false."
“The very first time they heard about these allegations was nearly four years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York attorney sent a letter requesting a financial settlement," Ruta said. "This was followed by a second letter in 2023, from a different Florida law firm, again requesting a financial settlement.
“The lawsuit, which seeks financial damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to act on alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is full of inaccurate and misleading statements which we have no doubt will not hold up in a court of law.”
Colorado Youth Pastor Jailed on Child Sex Assault Charges; Former Elder Says Church Covered Up Crime
A 28-year-old former Colorado youth pastor has been charged with multiple felony child sex assault charges, according to police in Thornton, Colorado—a suburb of Denver.
Police arrested Joshua Lucero, a now-former young adult pastor at Word Alive Church in Thornton, on March 25, a department news release stated.
Lucero — who goes by “Josh” on social media — was charged with “sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust” by the state’s 17th Judicial District Attorney’s office, the police statement added. No specifics of the alleged assault or a description of the alleged victim were disclosed by police.
Lucero is one of two adult children of Word Alive senior pastors Randy and Veronica Lucero.
Jan Martin, who said she was an elder on the Word Alive Church board in 2021, posted on Facebook that she “was asked to protect the pastor’s son who admitted to sexually assaulting a minor.”
She wrote, “As a Christian, I could not condone these actions. I resigned from my position and filed a police report with the Thornton Police Department in 2021.”
Kylynn McTague, public information officer for Thornton Police told The Roys Report (TRR) that while charges were first reported to the department in 2021, the “victim didn’t want to move forward at that time,” but changed their mind this year.
Lucero was booked into Adams County jail on Tuesday and initially held without bond. In an email to TRR, criminal defense attorney Chloe Gleichman of the Colorado Legal Defense Group in Denver said Lucero posted a $25,000 cash/surety bond and was released Wednesday.
Gleichman said she had arranged for Lucero to “self-surrender” to the Thornton Police Department on Tuesday afternoon.
“Mr. Lucero adamantly maintains his innocence and denies the allegations,” Gleichman said via email. “While a sensational headline, we ask members of the public to reserve judgment and let the process play out in court.”
She said her client was no longer a staff member at Word Alive Church.
Word Alive Church, a “spirit-filled church, non-denomination (sic), full-gospel fellowship” in Thornton, 12 miles north of Denver, did not respond to a voicemail and an email from TRR seeking comment.
Lucero’s alleged crimes took place between July 2017 and July 2020, police said, “while Lucero was a youth pastor overseeing juveniles aged 13 to 18. Detectives believe there may be additional victims and encourage anyone with information to come forward” by contacting the department’s tip line at (720) 977-5069, the news release stated.
Interim police chief Greg Reeves said, “Protecting the vulnerable in our community is one of our most important responsibilities. We’re asking anyone with information to come forward so justice can be served.”
Lucero deleted his Facebook account, but as of March 13, he was still included in social media posts from the church’s young adult ministry.
According to Jan Martin, “two other Board members also resigned” with her in 2021, “while others chose to keep this terrible secret.”
She added, “That church needs to be closed, and their funds need to be seized. It is NOT a house of worship but a house of lies and den of thieves.”
Satan is the father of lies, and chronic liars.
Martin did not respond to a message left on a number listed as her home telephone, nor to a message sent via Facebook Messenger requesting an interview.
The Denver Post reported Lucero is expected to appear in court again on Friday.
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