Former Boy Scout leader pleads guilty to sexually abusing boys
Mark Chapman faces up 20 years in prison for latest conviction
A former Boy Scout leader in Roseville pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges Monday in Macomb County Circuit Court and will be sentenced in December, according to state officials.
Mark D. Chapman, 52, of New York, was the person to be charged as a result of the ongoing Boy Scouts of America (BSA) investigation, said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Court records show the charges stemmed from Chapman performing sexual acts against two boys in the early and mid-2000s.
“Securing justice for the survivors of abuse is one of my top priorities,” Nessel said in a statement. “Regardless how much time has passed, or how difficult the circumstances of a case may be, I am committed to seeing abusers held accountable for their crimes.”
Chapman pled guilty before Judge Kathryn A. Viviano to:
• One count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, with a sentence agreement of 12-20 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections, lifetime sex offender registration, and lifetime electronic monitoring as mandated by statute, and sex offender counseling.
• One count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, with a sentence agreement of 10-15 years served in the Michigan Department of Corrections, lifetime sex offender registration, and sex offender counseling
Authorities initially charged Chapman with two counts of first-degree CSC and eight counts of seconddegree CSC.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Chapman started sexually abusing the boy in the first case in 2000 around the time the victim was 13 or 14 and continued until he was 17 years old and a senior in high school.
The incidents occurred at the victim’s father’s house, at Chapman’s house, and at the local church.
The second case involves a family member who was around 11 years old when the abuse by Chapman began. The abuse went on for years and often revolved around times that were designated as special opportunities for Chapman to spend time with the boy.
Chapman was involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on 12 Mile Road in Roseville and the Boy Scouts of America when the crimes were committed. He was affiliated with the BSA from the late 1900s to 2013, investigators said.
He was charged last March by the state Attorney General’s Office a short time before he was scheduled to be released after serving nine years in a New York state prison for assaulting one of the same alleged victims in the Michigan case.
“Allegations made against adults in the Boy Scouts of America are wideranging and my department continues to review information and evidence to pursue charges against those who used their positions of authority to harm children,” Nessel said.
The AG’s office continues to examine a total of 5,000 claims sent from BSA national for review. So far, a completed review of 550 claims resulted in roughly 60 inquiries sent to MSP for further investigation. The claim review process remains ongoing.
Chapman remains held in the county jail in lieu of a $300,000 bond. He is due to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14 in Macomb County Circuit Court.
Anyone who has information about the Boy Scouts of America that may help, call the investigation tip line at 844-324-3374 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-through Friday.