The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
31 more victims, 6 new suspects at Boys & Girls Clubs
Thirtyone additional victims of childhood sexual abuse have been found in eight additional criminal and civil cases related to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country since Hearst Connecticut Media first published a sixmonth investigation into the issue in August. Overall, the investigation has uncovered 280 victims of childhood sexual abuse.
One club in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, is facing five separate lawsuits alleging sexual abuse was common under the club’s former leadership in the 1970s and 1980s. The two most recent lawsuits against that club were filed Nov. 6.
One civil case is also pending in Connecticut against a former counselor at the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club.
The majority of the new victims — 20 men — filed a lawsuit Sept. 23 under New York’s new Child Victims Act, which went in effect in August and expanded the state’s statute of limitations of sex crimes against children. The lawsuit names the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club and claims the club allowed unfettered access to vulnerable children and that staff ignored repeated sexual abuse that was happening “in plain sight” of other adults between 1950 and 1980. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 10 in the New York City Supreme Court.
At the time, the club was known as the Madison Square Boys Club, the original Boys Club in New York City and one of the founding members of what eventually became the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
The lack of oversight allowed basketball coach and gym director, Nicholas Antonucci, known as “Lefty,” and “pool doctor” Dr. Reginald Archibald, among others, to repeatedly sexually abuse boys at the club, the lawsuit alleges.
Antonucci — the man written about in Jim Carroll’s 1978 memoir “The Basketball Diaries” — abused boys in the club, on club trips and on sleepovers he organized, according to the lawsuit, and forced them to perform cruel and embarrassing inappropriate acts in front of other children.
Archibald, a former endocrinologist at Rockefeller University Hospital, used the club to recruit children for his “growth study” and would “examine” all the club members, taking naked photographs of them and raping them at the club, according to the lawsuit. Several other lawsuits have been filed against him, the club and the hospital related to the alleged abuse.
Archibald died in 2007. Antonucci’s whereabouts are unclear, but a lawyer for the plaintiff ’s in the New York lawsuit has said she believes he is also dead.
Representatives of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club have said they cannot comment on the specifics of the case, but issued a statement saying they applaud the courage of the victims who have come forward. Previously, attorneys representing the club have said it takes any allegations of abuse seriously and its main priority is protecting the safety of the children it serves.
Two other civil lawsuits were filed this fall under the Child Victims Act against the Louis N. Picciano Boys’ Club in Endicott, New York. The club, later renamed the Boys & Girls Club of Western Broome, has since closed.
Both lawsuits claim former swim teacher Gerald L. Berg, who ran the pool and supervised children at the club, sexually abused two teenage boys at the club in the 1970s. The first boy was molested several times between 1975 and 1976, when he would attend the club after school and on weekends, according to a lawsuit filed Aug. 12 in the Supreme Court of Broome County.
A second lawsuit filed against the club Sept. 5 claims another teen, who was hired to work at the club in 1976, was abused by Berg in the swim teacher’s office and at his house. Both lawsuits indicate that parents in each case notified police of the abuse, but Endicott police were unable to confirm an arrest or any potential outcome of the case since the agency does not keep records from 40 years ago.
Attempts to reach Berg have been unsuccessful. The Boys & Girls Club of Western Broome did not respond to a request seeking comment.
The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Fe/Del Norte in New Mexico is facing five different lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by club staff. The lawsuits also name Boys & Girls Clubs of America as a defendant and claim that Louis Montano, a former director of the club for 27 years, used his position of power at the club to groom, manipulate and abuse four boys and one girl between 1973 and
1982. One of the lawsuits also mentions Phillip Gurule, a former boxing coach, who is accused of sexually abusing a boy in the 1970s starting when the boy was only 11 years old.
Neither man is named as defendants in the lawsuits, which all allege the club and the national organization failed to appropriately hire and supervise its employees and did not have guidelines for reporting abuse. The club and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have denied any wrongdoing in legal filings.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe has zero tolerance for anything that puts children at risk,” said Sarah Gettler, assistant executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe/Del Norte.
“It is our aim to have the lawsuits resolved in a manner that provides support and comfort to the victims and their families, and we will cooperate fully with those involved in the legal process.”
Montano, who also served as mayor of Santa Fe, died in 2008. Gurule could not be reached for comment.
New criminal cases
In addition to the five recent lawsuits related to Boys & Girls Clubs, three other people across the country with ties to clubs have been arrested on sexual assault charges and have pending criminal cases in court.
A former employee at the Boys & Girls Club of Umpqua Valley in Oregon is facing five felony charges after he allegedly traded pizza, alcohol and marijuana for nude photos with a teenage girl, according to police.
Kyle Humphrey, 30, is also accused of sexually abusing the girl while working for the club this summer, police said. He was arrested Aug. 5 and indicted Aug. 9 in Douglas County Circuit Court on seconddegree sexual abuse, unlawful delivery of marijuana, coercion and two counts of using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct, court records show.
Humphrey allegedly drove two girls to a remote site, and then pinned one of them down in the backseat of his car and sexually assaulted her, according to a probable cause affidavit. In a police interview, Humphrey allegedly admitted that he exchanged goods for nude photos of the girls, and admitted to having sex with a 14yearold in his vehicle, according to the probable cause documents. The second girl, whose age is unclear from court documents, is not listed by police as a victim in the case.
Humphrey was immediately terminated and banned from any club programs or facilities once officials learned of the allegations, said Bryan Lake, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Umpqua Valley.
“This individual was hired in July 2019, and prior to his hiring, he underwent and passed a thorough criminal background check,” Lake said. “While it’s our understanding from the authorities that the alleged abuse did not occur at the Club or during Club activities and did not involve any current Club members, we remain devastated to hear of harm to any child and our hearts go out to the victims and their families.”
The club is cooperating fully with authorities, he said.
Humphrey, who has pleaded not guilty, is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail at Douglas County Jail. He is due back in court on Jan. 27 for a trial readiness conference and a jury trial has been scheduled for Jan. 30.
A former employee of the Boys & Girls Club of the Western Treasure Valley in Payette, Idaho, is facing sexual abuse and battery charges related to the abuse of four boys.
Alexander Scott Plaza, 25, who also worked as a police officer, is accused of enticing teenage boys to send him nude photos on social media between October 2017 and June 2019, according to the criminal complaint in the case.
Plaza was arraigned on Sept. 3 in Payette County District court on seven counts of sexual battery of a minor and one count of sexual abuse of a minor, court records show.
Matt Frye, board president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Treasure Valley, said Plaza was “briefly employed at the Payette site” but the club immediately terminated his employment when it learned of the allegations and is cooperating fully with authorities.
“To our knowledge, these allegations do not involve Club members, however, no harm should come to any child and our hearts go out to any victims and their families,” Frye said.
Plaza, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, was released after posting his $150,000 bail. He has been ordered to have no contact with the victims. He is scheduled to return to court in Payette County on Jan. 17 for a pretrial conference and a jury trial has been scheduled for Feb. 4.
A 17yearold boy is facing criminal charges after he allegedly sexually abused a 13yearold girl in a computer lab at the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County in North Lauderdale, Florida, according to a police report.
The boy was arrested July 17 by the Broward County Sheriff ’s office and charged with lewd or lascivious molestation, one day after the assault is alleged to have happened.
The 17yearold and the girl both attended a Boys & Girls Club camp, the sheriff ’s office said in its report. When police interviewed the boy, he allegedly admitted to molesting the girl, according to the report.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County said it is aware of an allegation of inappropriate behavior involving two club members.
“As soon as this behavior was reported, we immediately contacted the proper authorities and the parents of the members involved,” said Brian Quail, president and CEO of the club. “We are deeply concerned about these allegations and are cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate this very serious matter.”
The 17yearold’s next court date is not publicly available as his case is being heard in juvenile court, but a letter sent to the victim from the prosecutor’s office indicates the case is moving forward for prosecution.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the largest nonprofit serving youth in the country, has said it will take measures to improve the safety of the children it serves, including new mandatory annual audits of every local club, a national day of safety drills and training and improvements to how transparent it is with parents and communities about allegations of abuse. It has also hired an outside firm to conduct a toptobottom review of safety procedures and make the results of that review available to the public. That report is expected to be completed in 2020, officials said this week.
The national organization has said it does not comment on specific cases and does not keep a public accounting of credible sexual abuse claims and convictions related to clubs.
In addition to the new cases, there are 17 civil and criminal cases related to Boys & Girls Clubs and sexual abuse allegations that are still pending or have recently been resolved.
Here’s a list of the recently resolved cases:
Terry Terrell Gillard, 58, a former wrestling coach at Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in California, was sentenced to 71 years in prison on Oct. 1 after being convicted of 47 child sex abuse charges in May. However, a lawsuit brought by the parents of his victims against Gillard, the school’s district and the club alleges Gillard forced to minors perform sex acts. The suit, which is still pending, alleges the club and the school district where Gillard worked should have known about the abuse because Gillard had previously been suspended for 90 days for sexual misconduct. The school district, the club and Gillard have denied any wrongdoing in documents filed in the civil case.
Kevin Ray McMillan, a former teen mentor and program specialist at the Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Bend in Corpus Christi, Texas, filed an appeal earlier this year to vacate his 20year federal prison sentence for sexual exploitation of a child. A federal judge denied his appeal on Sept. 3 with prejudice, which means he cannot file another similar appeal. McMmillan was arrested in 2017 after sending sexually explicit text messages to a 13yearold girl and engaging in sexual activity with a 14yearold girl in a recording studio he used for another nonprofit youth organization he started. There is no indication in the court records that McMillan met the victims through the Boys & Girls Club. McMillan accepted a plea deal and must register as a sex offender once he is released from federal prison.
Here’s a list of the pending cases:
Tariq Arrhaman Majid, 40, of Napa, California, was arrested in January after federal investigators linked his IP address to child pornography downloads online, according to a criminal complaint. Majid is also accused of molesting multiple minors in the criminal court documents. He worked as a mentor at Boys & Girls Club of Napa Valley, court records say. According to a written response from the club, none of the victims were club members. Majid is scheduled to appear in Federal District Court in the Eastern District of California for a status conference Dec. 16, online court records indicate.
Darnell Maye, 49, the former director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plains in Washington, North Carolina, was arrested in July for allegedly sexually assaulting a teen at the club. Administrators for the organization said in a written statement they are “shocked and deeply concerned” by the allegations and that he was suspended and banned from the club once they learned of the accusations. Maye pleaded guilty to abuse charges in Pitt County Court on Sept. 13 and received unsupervised probation. He missed an Oct. 10 court date in Beaufort County, however, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, a court clerk there said on Nov. 4.
Duryea Johnson, 28, was charged in July with one count of causing a child 13 or older to view or listen to sexual activity as well as one count of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Johnson used to work at summer and after school programs at the Boys &
Girls Club of Door County and left the club in August
2018, according to the organization’s administrators. The current club CEO said in July the organization does “not tolerate inappropriate or illegal activity” and is working to assist investigators in the case. Johnson is scheduled to appear in court for a competency hearing Dec. 19.
Jeckell Joseph Fuselier, 21 at the time, was charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile in December 2018 after he allegedly sent a sexually explicit image to a 13yearold girl while he was a counselor at the Boys and Girls Club of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. The CEO of the club declined to comment on the specifics of the case in July, but cited the nonprofit’s improved safety policies. Fuselier was scheduled to appear in court for pretrial proceedings this week.
Demetris Keno, 23, was charged with sexual assault of a child after he allegedly raped a 14yearold girl volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club of San Antonio in Texas, where he was employed. According to the arrest warrant, Keno sent the girl several messages via Snapchat in which he tried to coerce her into sex. He later picked her up from the club and raped her in his car at a nearby cul de sac, the warrant alleges. A club official said Keno was terminated from his position at the Boys & Girls Club, and that the organization is “fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities as they complete their investigation.” Keno is free on $60,000 bond, and his case has been referred to the criminal magistrate for a writ of habeas corpus for his bond conditions in Bexar County.
Venorrice Wells, 31, a former employee of the Lester H. White Boys & Girls Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, allegedly abused a 16yearold girl when he drove her home from the club, according to criminal court documents. Wells, who also worked as a high school science teacher, was charged with two counts of sexual assault on a minor and one count of soliciting or engaging in sexual conduct with a student by an authority figure. An insurance agent for Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, which oversees the club, said in July the alleged abuse didn’t take place on the club’s property or doing its hours and was not perpetrated on a club member. Wells has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a jury trial is scheduled for Dec. 5.
Fernando Figueroa, 26, a technology aide at an elementary school in Riverside, California, was criminally charged with several counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 10 and arrested in February 2017, according to a release from the Riverside Police Department. Figueroa was later indicted on 25 counts of sex offenses against minors. Figueroa has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A civil lawsuit complaint alleged Figueroa sexually abused at least 11 girls while serving as a dual employee with the school system and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater RedlandsRiverside. Parents of three of the children were awarded $6.2 million in a settlement in the civil suit they filed against the school district in November 2018. The settlement agreement stipulated that the defendant did not make an admission of liability or validity of the claim. Figueroa was due back in criminal court this week for a hearing.
Carlos Bedoya, 63, a former youth soccer coach at the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township, Illinois, was convicted of eight counts of predatory criminal sexual assault Aug. 9. He faces charges in five other criminal cases involving 11 additional victims, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office. A lawsuit filed by parents of some of the alleged victims claims the club negligently failed to prevent Bedoya from sexually abusing their children, including at the club’s soccer field. The club has denied all the allegations in documents filed in the civil case. In the criminal case, Bedoya is due back in court on Dec. 19 for sentencing and faces a minimum of 48 years in prison, according to prosecutors. In the civil case, a status call has been scheduled for Dec. 4.
Derek Antonio Branch, 29, was charged in November with carnal knowledge of a child for having inappropriate contact with a girl he met while working at the Martin K. Alloy Boys & Girls Club of Manassas in Virginia. A spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, which oversees the Manassas club, declined to comment on the case in July, but detailed its safety procedures. On Aug. 6, Branch’s pending criminal case was transferred from the Prince William County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to the county Circuit Court. The case was presented to a grand jury in September and has been scheduled for trial in March 2020.
Bobby Chase, 18, a staff member at the Boys & Girls Club of Story County in Ames, Iowa, was charged with two counts of dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors after he allegedly showed a pornographic clip to two girls at the club, court documents allege. Police said he showed about five seconds of the video to an 11yearold girl and a 12yearold girl when he unlocked his cellphone. The court has ordered Chase to not have contact with the victims, according to the county court clerk’s office. He has a pretrial conference scheduled for Dec. 3 and a jury trial scheduled for Dec. 17, according to court records.
Victoria Satoafaiga, 30, a former director at the Boys & Girls Club of Maui, Hawaii, pleaded no contest in March to seconddegree custodial interference and an amended charge of fourthdegree sexual assault of a 12yearold girl who was a member of the club from 2016 through 2017. The club’s CEO declined to comment on the case in July, but detailed the nonprofit’s safety protocol. Satoafaiga is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2020, according to a clerk for the Second Circuit Court of Hawaii, and could
face up to 6 months in prison.
Paul “Dwayne” Kilgore, 71, a former athletic director at a California Boys & Girls Club, is serving 150 years in prison and now faces a civil suit after he sexually abused four boys ages 6 to 13 over the course of a decade. Kilgore was found guilty of six counts of sexual abuse of a minor in March of last year. The lawsuit also names the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, alleging that it ignored the abuse when it was brought to their attention and continued to allow Kilgore to have access to children. The civil suit is ongoing and is scheduled for a status conference on Nov. 19 in Sonoma County Superior Court. The club has denied every allegation made in the complaint in documents filed in the civil case.
Andrew Atkinson, a counselor at the thenGreenwich Boys’ Club, in Greenwich, Connecticut, allegedly abused nine children in the 1970s and ’80s, while club officials who were aware of the abuse did nothing to stop it, according to a civil suit. Atkinson denied the allegation in an interview in March. The club has denied wrongdoing in documents filed in the case. The lawsuit tentatively is scheduled for trial in June 2020 and a pretrial conference has been set for Dec. 14.
At the Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley in Mesa, Arizona, a 17yearold volunteer serving community service hours allegedly groped a 12yearold girl, according to juvenile court documents. A criminal case against the 17yearold was dismissed after he completed “boundaries” treatment, court documents show. The girl’s parents later filed a civil suit against the boy, the Mesa club, and the Boys & Girls Club of America, which is ongoing. The CEO of the local club declined to comment on the specifics of the case when reached for comment in July, but said the organization takes any allegation of abuse seriously. A pretrial conference for the case is scheduled for April 6, 2020, according to the Maricopa County Superior Court’s website.
At an afterschool program run by the Boys & Girls Club of the Town of Wallkill in Circleville, New York, a boy was allegedly sexually abused by another underage club member on Oct. 6, 2017, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County’s trial court in December. The suit names the national and local organizations as defendants, and claims the club hired “inept, inadequate, dangerous and/ or incompetent employees.” The club has denied any wrongdoing in court filings. No hearing has been scheduled in the case, according to the Orange County Supreme Court clerk’s office.