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Lawyers for the organization released a list of suspects who allegedly abused children as part of a “widespread pattern of abuse.”
The names of some of the accused were released on Tuesday, and attorneys representing the victims have demanded that the Boy Scouts of America release the background information, identities and files on all perpetrators who have been accused of sexual misconduct involving minors.
The law firm alleges that there are more than 7,000 sexual abusers in the Boy Scouts organization nationwide, including 130 in New York.
In the Hudson Valley, the following Boy Scout leaders have been accused by Anderson & Associates include:
- Edward Spear - Pack 63 in Goshen;
- James Arthur Fross - Troop 58 in Red Hook and Troop 16 in Tivoli;
- Tyrone Charles Hughes - Troop 123 in Suffern.
"For many, many years there's been an excavation of what are called the 'perversion files' — those are files held and hoarded at the Boy Scouts of America headquarters," Attorney Jeff Anderson said during a press conference on Tuesday. “Those 'perversion files' that they've had reflect that they have removed thousands of offenders of childhood sexual abuse over the years and they've kept that in files secretly.”
Anderson stated that the file is incomplete, and there are potentially more sexual offenders targeting children in the Boy Scouts of America.
“The bad news is that this is far from a full disclosure. We had to sound the alarm,” he added.
In a statement, the Boy Scouts of America said they “care deeply about all victims of child sex abuse and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting.”
“We believe victims, we support them, and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice. Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in Scouting and we are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children.”
According to reports, Anderson is planning to file multiple lawsuits against the Boy Scouts on behalf of the alleged victims and has demanded the Boy Scouts of America fork over files that include the names of some of the accusers. A lawsuit is expected to be filed in August when New York’s Child Victims Act is made effective.
"We don't know if the police know. We don't know if they're still scout leaders and scoutmasters," Anderson said. "All we know is that the Boy Scouts of America know, and they chose to keep that secret."
The complete list of accused Boy Scout leaders charged with abuse can be found here.
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