Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers is no longer actively retaining Boy Scouts abuse victims.
Boy Scout Perversion Files
The Boy Scouts of America mission statement reads, “The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.” However, it appears some questionable ethical and moral choices are evidenced by the “perversion files.” The files include a letter where a Scouts executive wrote, “This subject and Scouts were not prosecuted to save the name of Scouting.” The letter referred to a scoutmaster who confessed to sexually abusing three children. No charges were ever filed against the scoutmaster. The files include another letter written by a Scouts executive; the executive wrote, “I would like to let this case drop… one father has threatened legal action which could only injure the Boy Scouts of America. My personal opinion in this particular case is, ‘If it don’t stink, don’t stir it.’” 130 of the accused in the list are in New York, which means the recently passed Child Victims Act could expose them to criminal charges.
The files include evidence that alleged pedophiles continued to serve the Boy Scouts, after the allegations against them were known, due to local Scouts officials’ pressure. The files also show that about 1/3 of accusations that Boy Scouts of America were aware of were never passed on to the police. This runs contrary to the Boy Scouts of America Youth Protection mission statement, which stipulates that “all persons involved in Scouting” report any suspected child sexual abuse to local authorities. The Boy Scouts youth protection pamphlet also states, “All persons involved in BSA programs must report any instance of child abuse to local law enforcement…”
Recent Abuse By Boy Scouts
- Richard Merry was sentenced to 52 years in prison in September 2011 after being found guilty of victimizing multiple Scouts while he was an assistant scout leader from 2006-2010.
- Former Scout leader Gary Wade Brown was convicted in 2009 of sexual abuse of a child, sexual exploitation of a minor and lewdness involving a child. The abuse took place from 2005-2006.
- Boy Scouts of America said that they were aware of five members who were victims of child sex abuse in 2018.
