Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Dr. Barto sentencing sexual assault two dozen children, Shambhala Buddhist org. allegations of sexual assault, Syracuse Diocese ritual abuse, Bill eliminates statute of limitations child sex abuse "ritual abuse of a minor", Ritual Abuse Conferences 2019

- Dr. Johnnie Barto, a sexual predator pediatrician, gets up to 158 years in prison

 

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- Shambhala discloses allegations of sexual assault, child abuse within Boulder-born Buddhist organization’s ranks  

- Bill giving victims more time on child sex abuse lawsuits, criminal cases gets support

 

- Ahead Of Diocese Report, Reaction To Syracuse Abuse Compensation Program

 

- The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference

 

- The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference


Dr. Johnnie Barto, a sexual predator pediatrician, gets up to 158 years in prison

“He held himself out as a pillar in his community — a family pediatrician, an elected member of the school board, a regular attendee at church,” the state attorney general said.

Dr. Johnnie Barto heads into Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, on March 18, 2019, for his sentencing in the sexual assault of more than two dozen children.

March 18, 2019 By Corky Siemaszko

A Pennsylvania pediatrician who admitted to molesting several generations of children was sentenced Monday to spend the rest of his life in prison after 18 now-grown women took turns pleading with the court to throw the book at him, with many calling him a “monster.”

Dr. Johnnie “Jack” Barto, 71, was hit with a sentence of 79 to 158 years in prison, virtually guaranteeing that he will die behind bars, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said....

Barto’s sentencing came a day after several women — who said the doctor molested them when they were children — described in a lengthy interview with NBC News how the Johnstown community rallied behind him in 2000, the first time he was accused of abusing children.

Twenty years ago, this predator could have been stopped,” Jennifer Goetz, 42, said on the steps of the Cambria County Courthouse.

Goetz, who said she was about 8 when Barto violated her in 1984, said, "Today is a bittersweet day for me.”

Erika Brosig, who said she was 12 when Barto molested her in 1994, said the doctor had enablers who also need to be called to account.

“Parents were making complaints frequently about Dr. Barto,” she said. “We want to find out who did know and what was the level of their responsibility.”....

arto was hit with the staggering sentence two months after he first pleaded guilty to molesting the two relatives, and no-contest to three other allegations brought by children he was accused of sexually abusing at his practice.

Under questioning, Barto also admitted to sexually assaulting dozens more children during the four decades he practiced medicine in and around Johnstown, Shapiro said.

Barto targeted girls and boys, most between the ages of 8 and 12, the chief prosecutor said. The youngest victims were a toddler and a 2-week-old.

Most of the assaults happened after Barto got his medical license back in 2000. It had been suspended after he was accused the first time of sexually abusing three children in 1998. His license was restored in 2000 by the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine.

“When he was first accused in 1998, Barto thought he was immune from prosecution and played a long game to make sure the families thought well of him and allowed their children near him,” Shapiro said.

Despite the rumors that Barto was still molesting children, he managed to elude law enforcement until Dec. 21, 2017, when a 12-year-old girl told her mother that at the end of an examination, the doctor had her sit on his lap while he molested her, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Barto was arrested by the Richland Township police Jan. 18, 2018. That same day, The Tribune–Democrat newspaper reported, a “Support for Johnnie ‘Jack’ Barto” page went up on Facebook, complete with testimonials from local parents whose children were his patients.

The page quickly came down after Barto finally admitted his guilt.

Shapiro noted that in addition to the 31 incidents of assault charged, at least a half-dozen other cases could not be charged because of the criminal statute of limitations laws in Pennsylvania....


Shambhala discloses allegations of sexual assault, child abuse within Boulder-born Buddhist organization’s ranks

Report by An Olive Branch includes unsubstantiated allegations, details failure to address issues


By Jackson Barnett The Denver Post March 19, 2019

Shambhala, the Buddhist organization founded in Boulder in the 1970s, released a report Tuesday detailing — but not substantiating — new allegations of sexual assault and child abuse within the organization, along with an internal failure to adequately address that abuse....

Allegations of abuse within Shambhala — now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia — first were brought to light last year by Buddhist Project Sunshine, which published anonymous allegations of sexual abuse by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the organization’s leader, and other high-ranking teachers.

In July, Mipham acknowledged he had caused “harm” in relationships and would step aside from his leadership position. Shambhala then retained the Canadian law firm Wickwire Holm to conduct a third-party investigation. The firm, in a report released last month, found two credible claims of sexual abuse and a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Mipham, but its investigation was criticized for being too narrow in scope by former Shambhala members....

The report that contained self-reported accounts of abuse found several “themes” of abuse, including sexual misconduct by Shambhala teachers and staff, child abuse and abuse of power. People who self-reported also claimed backlash, concerns about speaking up and efforts by Shambhala to protect teachers and the organization from accusations.

Unverified firsthand stories included acts ranging from unwelcomed kisses from older teachers to child molestation. The report did not include the names of those accused nor the locations where the alleged abuse occurred. An Olive Branch said it reported crimes that had been brought to its attention to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. The report also found that many people did not trust Shambhala to execute proper procedures to address abuse....

An Olive Branch also noted that Mipham in 2015 was excluded from signing Shambhala’s pledge to understand and abide by the policy and not have sexual relationships with students....

Beyond the Buddhist organization’s own internal reviews, an investigation by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office into “possible criminal activity” at the Shambhala Mountain Center near Red Feather Lakes remains ongoing. And Boulder police earlier this year arrested a former Shambhala teacher, William Karelis, 70, on charges of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust....

Ahead Of Diocese Report, Reaction To Syracuse Abuse Compensation Program

By Gabe Altieri (WSKG) March 19, 2019....

This month, the Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese hopes to release a report on how its settlement program for people who have been abused by clergy has gone.

It’s called an independent reconciliation and compensation program, or IRCP. The Syracuse Diocese covers part of Central New York and the Southern Tier including Binghamton and Cortland.

WSKG looked into how this program went for the diocese and those who participated. A listener note: this story contains graphic details of sexual abuse.

Remembering Abuse

....What happened to Lightbody is detailed in her testimony to the independent mediator who ran the victims compensation program for the Syracuse Diocese.

....This was the early 1970s. She was about ten years old.

"It was not typical, what you consider typical sexual abuse," Lightbody said. "What he did to me was ritual abuse which involves physical abuse, sexual abuse, mind control and brainwashing."

....Here’s what we know about her alleged abuser: his name is Paul Slavetskas. He served at Blessed Sacrament in Johnson City from March 1973 until September 1974.

Slavetskas died in 2015.

The Syracuse Diocese put his name on a list of priests with credible accusations against him. That was released in December. Lightbody’s testimony is the only known abuse claim against him.


Bill giving victims more time on child sex abuse lawsuits, criminal cases gets support

PHOEBE TOLLEFSON Mar 14, 2019

....The bill, HB 640, would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal cases and extend from age 21 to age 27 the time frame during which a victim can sue over alleged abuses.

It makes no change to current law that allows victims to sue after the statute of limitations has expired, but within three years of recognizing their abuse. Experts say victims can repress memories of abuse and struggle to come to terms with its lifelong impacts.

The bill beefs up penalties against mandatory reporters who fail to act by making it a felony in cases involving sexual abuse allegations.

....The bill pertains to victims younger than 18 of the following crimes: sexual assault, sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, indecent exposure, sexual abuse, ritual abuse of a minor, incest and sexual exploitation.



The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference August 17 – 18, 2019 DoubleTree near Bradley International Airport Windsor Locks, CT Internet conference information: http://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/ 


The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference

When:

Regular Conference - Saturday and Sunday May 4 - 5, 2019

Clinician's Conference (CEUs are available) Friday May 3, 2019


Where: Courtyard Marriot Long Beach Airport Long Beach, CA

Survivorship Conference Speakers

Clinician's Conference - Friday May 3, 2019


Deception by Organized Abuser Groups: Helping Yourself and Your Clients Think Through the Issues by Alison Miller

The Use of Music and other Auditory Stimuli in Psychological Therapy with Extreme Abuse Survivors by Randy Noblitt

Regular Conference - Saturday and Sunday May 4 - 5, 2019


Deception by Organized Abuser Groups: Helping Your Front People and Your Insiders Recognize the Lies and Tricks Which Keep You Enslaved by Dr. Alison Miller

Talking About Triggers Without Being Triggering by Dr. Randall Noblitt

Barriers encountered by RA Survivors when accessing Support in Offline Spaces (Services) By Joseph Lumbasi

A Survivor's View of Recovery from Ritual Abuse by Neil Brick

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Cardinal George Pell highest-ranking Catholic cleric convicted of child sex abuse, Ritual Abuse Conferences in 2019


Cardinal George Pell sentenced to 6 years in prison for child sex abuse
Pell is the highest-ranking Catholic cleric worldwide to be convicted of child sex abuse .
March 12, 2019  By Doha Madani and Associated Press
 
The most senior Catholic cleric ever to be convicted of child sex abuse was sentenced to six years in prison in Australia on Wednesday morning.
 
Cardinal George Pell, 77, faced as many as 50 years in prison after being convicted in December for the molestation of two choir boys while he was the archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s. Pell must serve a minimum of three years and eight months before he is eligible for parole.
 
He will spend the rest of his life as a registered sex offender.
 
Pell was convicted for the assault of the 13-year-old boys after he caught them swigging sacramental wine in a rear room of Melbourne's St. Patrick's Cathedral in late 1996.
 
The jury also found Pell guilty of indecently assaulting one of the boys in a corridor more than a month later....
During the nearly hour-long sentencing remarks, Kidd called Pell's attack "brazen" and suggested that the cleric was "breathtakingly arrogant" in his attack on the young boys.
 
"There is no evidence of your remorse or contrition," Kidd said Wednesday in court....
 
A spokesman for the Vatican also said that Pell was no longer head of the Secretariat for the Economy, a post that oversees the Vatican's finances.
 
The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference
https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/

 
August 17 – 18, 2019
DoubleTree near Bradley International Airport  Windsor Locks, CT 


Speakers include: Alison Miller, Neil Brick and Daniel Roemer (film maker)

The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference
 
When:
Regular Conference – Saturday and Sunday May 4 – 5, 2019
Clinician’s Conference – Friday May 3, 2019


Where:
Courtyard Marriot Long Beach Airport
Long Beach, CA


https://survivorship.org/ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2019-conference/


Speakers include: Alison Miller, Randy Noblitt, Joseph Lumbasi and Neil Brick

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Thousands of Immigrant Children Said They Were Sexually Abused in U.S. Detention Centers, Report Says, 10 Undeniable Facts About the Michael Jackson Sexual-Abuse Allegations

 
Thousands of Immigrant Children Said They Were  Abused in U.S. Detention Centers, Report Says
By Matthew Haag Feb. 27, 2019
 
The federal government received more than 4,500 complaints in four years about the sexual abuse of immigrant children who were being held at government-funded detention facilities, including an increase in complaints while the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the border was in place, the Justice Department revealed this week.
 
The records, which involve children who had entered the country alone or had been separated from their parents, detailed allegations that adult staff members had harassed and assaulted children, including fondling and kissing minors, watching them as they showered, and raping them. They also included cases of suspected abuse of children by other minors.
 
From October 2014 to July 2018, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a part of the Health and Human Services Department that cares for so-called unaccompanied minors, received a total of 4,556 allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment, 1,303 of which were referred to the Justice Department. Of those 1,303 cases deemed the most serious, 178 were accusations that adult staff members had sexually assaulted immigrant children, while the rest were allegations of minors assaulting other minors, the report said....
 
 
 
10 Undeniable Facts About the Michael Jackson Sexual-Abuse Allegations
The author, who spent more than a decade covering the scandal for V.F., shares the key revelations and insights that viewers of the new HBO documentary Leaving Neverland....
 
The two-part documentary, which premieres on HBO this Sunday, gives Robson and Safechuck, together with their surviving family members, the opportunity to tell their stories of being first befriended and then seduced, emotionally and—they allege—sexually, by Michael Jackson. What struck me most, as someone who spent more than a decade reporting on allegations against Jackson, was how closely Robson’s and Safechuck’s stories mirrored those of Jordie Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, the 13-year-old whose allegations prompted the 2005 trial in which Jackson was acquitted on 10 felony counts, including four counts of child molestation and one of attempted child molestation. Another boy, Jason Francia, whose mother worked as a housekeeper for Jackson, testified under oath that he was molested by Jackson, bringing to five the number of young men who’ve sworn that Jackson showed them pornography, masturbated them, or introduced them to sex when they were between the ages of 7 and 12.
 
So many details of each case were the same: the targeting of boys from troubled families, the skillful grooming, the gifts, the seduction, the Jacuzzis, the way sex was performed, the fear and threats of what would befall them if they ever told anyone what Jackson had done. Their dismissals followed a similar pattern, too: as puberty approached, Robson and Safechuck say in the documentary, they were abruptly thrown to the curb and replaced with a new, younger kid.
 
Even their families got similar treatment: the sisters were put off to the side by Michael, the supposed adorer of all children; the parents were whisked around in limos and private jets, taken shopping, and treated to vintage wine from Neverland’s cellar. Jordie Chandler’s mother got trips to Monaco and Las Vegas, along with a diamond bracelet. Jimmy Safechuck’s parents got a whole house; the documentary never mentions the cars they received, or the permanent residence visa that Wade Robson’s mother testified in 2005 to having received by funneling whatever wages she had received through the Michael Jackson Corporation. Joy Robson also acknowledged accepting a car, a $10,000 payment from Jackson, and a $10,000 loan from Jackson’s investigator....
 
1. There is no dispute that, at age 34, Michael Jackson slept more than 30 nights in a row in the same bed with 13-year-old Jordie Chandler at the boy’s house with Chandler’s mother present. He also slept in the same bed with Jordie Chandler at Chandler’s father’s house. The parents were divorced.
 
2. So far, five boys Michael Jackson shared beds with have accused him of abuse: Jordie Chandler, Jason Francia, Gavin Arvizo, Wade Robson, and Jimmy Safechuck. Jackson had the same nickname for Chandler and Arvizo: “Rubba.” He called Robson “Little One” and Safechuck “Applehead.”
 
3. Jackson paid $25 million to settle the Chandlers’ lawsuit, with $18 million going to Jordie, $2.5 million to each of the parents, and the rest to lawyers. Jackson said he paid that sum to avoid something “long and drawn out.” Francia also received $2.4 million from Jackson....