Resource Center

Category: Youth Leader

July 1, 2020

Buddhist leader accused of sexually abusing young girls

Michael Smith, a former member of a Colorado Shambhala Buddhist center has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing at least one child. In March, the 55-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and attempted sexual assault on a child. In addition to the 20 year sentence, a Boulder district judge also gave a three-year prison sentence for attempted sex assault. Smith’s prison sentence will be followed by five years of mandatory parole. According to police, Smith lived in a room rented out by the girl’s family to other Shambhala Buddhists, and that is […]

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June 1, 2020

Girl Scout Leader arrested for allegedly sexually abusing young girls

A Girl Scout co-leader in North Tonawanda and his wife have been charged in connection with the sexual abuse of two young children, according to a police report. Police reported that Marty and Shani Walton, a volunteer for the organization, were virtually arraigned in Niagara County Court on charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. The married couple both pleaded not guilty. The victims are both minors, ages eight and nine years old and the couple is currently under investigation for possible other incidents of child sex abuse. The Girl Scouts released this statement Saturday […]

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May 27, 2020

Boy Scouts Victims of Sex abuse have until November 16 to file suits amid Bankruptcy filing

Victims of child sex abuse by the Boy Scouts of America now have a November deadline to file claims. “At a time when millions of Americans are unemployed and preoccupied with basic survival, sexual abuse survivors need and are entitled to a reasonable period of time after they receive notice from the bankruptcy Court to reflect seriously and make a decision whether to file a claim in this case,” representatives for victims committee wrote in a court filing. Boy Scouts have filed for bankruptcy and had initially proposed a deadline of 80 days after notice of the claims process […]

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April 30, 2020

Award winning Master teacher in Hula accused of sexually abusing young students in the 1990’s

Award-winning kumu hula Howell “Chinky” Mahoe Jr. of Halau Hula O Kawaili’ula is among one of the several sexual abuse lawsuits filed this week amid claims of child sex abuse dating back to the 1990s . In the lawsuit one Oahu man claims he was just a child when he was enrolled in Mahoe’s keiki hula class in 1994-1998 and allegedly Mahoe performed unwanted sex acts on him at his Kailua home, and during trips to the mainland. Back in 1998 Mahoe was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to register as a sex offender after […]

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April 15, 2020

Roseville Church strikes controversy during COVID-19 amid sex abuse allegations

Pastor Doug Bird has already faced major controversy because he refused to close his Roseville Church services during the COVID-19 pandemic but now he faces additional controversy. Abundant Life Fellowship had already been dealing with a lawsuit which alleges that the Church Youth Director alleging a had repeatedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy who was a church member. The lawsuit, which is pending in San Bernardino Superior Court, names the church and former youth director Cornell Howard. Howard is accused of repeatedly assaulting the teenage victim, who the suit says was born in 1995 and joined the church as […]

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March 21, 2020

Youth Leader, Gaeta, accused of more counts of sex abuse of minors dating back 40 years

Already accused Youth Leader, Paul Gaeta, who was investigated last year for sex abuse of a minor, is facing more allegations for sex abuse of another young boy dating back to the 1980’s. Gaeta, a Lovejoy Youth leader allegedly abused the boy multiple times on multiple occasions when the minor was just 10 years old. Gaeta was the Executive Director of the Advisory Board for Lovejoy Elderly and Youth. The victim states that he “sustained severe personal physical and psychological injuries that have negatively harmed and impacted him” throughout his life. Lovejoy Elderly and Youth was a founded […]

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March 6, 2020

Popular New Age author Marc Gafni molested 13-year-old girl in 1980, lawsuit says

Before the Child Victims Act back in august of this year, a New York woman spent years unable to do anything but watch helplessly as the New Age author she says molested her as a child admitted and defended his conduct to Dr. Phil and The New York Times — until last month, when she sued him in Manhattan Supreme Court, thanks to the new Child Victims Act look back window. Sara Kabakov claims popular New Age thinker Marc Gafni — born Marc Winiarz — repeatedly sexually assaulted her in 1980 when she was 13 and he was a […]

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