Suit alleges sexual abuse at Old Town Boys Club

‘Numerous’ abused in ’80s and ’90s, suit says

A lawsuit alleges that a former director of the Old Town Boys Club in Albuquerque sexually abused a boy who was active in the organization in the 1980s and 1990s.

The suit alleges that Dominic Yannoni, director of the Old Town Boys Club during that period, sexually abused the boy for several years beginning around 1986 when the boy was in fifth grade.

Yannoni also abused “numerous other boys” at the club, the 2nd Judicial District Court lawsuit alleges.

The Journal was unable to contact Yannoni on Friday. Levi Monagle, an Albuquerque attorney who filed the suit on behalf of “John Doe 13,” said Yannoni no longer lives in New Mexico.

The suit names as defendants Boys and Girls Clubs of Central New Mexico, identified as the successor to the Albuquerque Boys Club, and its parent organization, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, an Atlanta-based nonprofit.

Mary Regas, spokeswoman for Boys and Girls Clubs of America, said in a written statement that the nonprofit was aware of the lawsuit “involving allegations of abuse dating back more than 30 years ago.”

All affiliate clubs adhere to safety protocols, including annual background checks, immediate reporting of alleged abuse, required safety policies and training and required references for employees changing club locations, the statement said.

“We fully recognize that although these alleged incidents occurred many years ago, time does not erase any pain experienced by survivors and their families,” it said.

The suit alleges the two nonprofits were negligent in supervising employees at the club and are liable for the abuse that occurred there. It seeks unspecified damages.

John Doe 13, who was born in 1976, grew up in Albuquerque and spent much of his time at the Old Town Boys Club as a boy, the suit said. The boy later was employed as a counselor at the club while still a minor, it said.

Yannoni took advantage of his position as director to abuse the boy, described as “a vulnerable and impoverished child of a single mother,” the suit said.

Monagle said in a phone interview Friday that Yannoni donated sizable sums of money to the Albuquerque Boys Club, the corporate entity responsible for the Old Town Boys Club.

The donations were made through Yannoni’s business, Amigo Bingo, in the 2000 block of 12th NW.

“The boys club profited to a significant degree from Yannoni’s gambling operation,” Monagle said.

Yannoni was hired and retained as director of the Old Town Boys Club because of the large amounts of money his gambling operations provided to Albuquerque Boys Club Inc., the lawsuit alleges.