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
