Tag: sexual predators

REVEALED: How the People’s Pope shielded sexual predators in the clergy – including one priest accused of violently raping nuns

When the world’s cardinals met in Rome last Monday for the first of their crucial pre-conclave discussions, they raised ‘the issue of clerical abuse’, according to a Vatican spokesman. 

The cardinals are forbidden to reveal anything that was said. 

But behind closed doors, the preparations for the conclave – which starts on Wednesday – are already mired in scandal.

Aside from doubts about the true age of Philippe Ouedraogo, a cardinal from Burkina Faso whom some claim is 80, meaning he’s too old to vote, and concerns about the presence of the Peruvian cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, who faces sexual abuse allegations (which he denies), several cardinals have torn into the legacy of the late Pope Francis.

‘We have listened to many complaints against Francis’s papacy in these days’, one unnamed cardinal told America Magazine, a Jesuit publication.

In any case, we can be certain that Monday’s debate was haunted by a series of jaw-dropping scandals whose details are unknown to the vast majority of the 400,000 Catholics who attended Pope Francis’s funeral a week ago.

If they had known, the crowds would have been much smaller. 

For the common denominator of these scandals – whose victims included 20 Slovenian nuns who claim to have been raped, Argentinian seminarians grotesquely assaulted by their bishop and a Belgian teenager subjected to incestuous assault by his uncle, a bishop – is that Francis went to bizarre lengths either to conceal or excuse these crimes.

The ‘people’s Pope’ was elected in 2013 on a promise to hold the Church accountable for clerical sex abuse. 

And it’s true that he did establish new rules designed to punish bishops found guilty.

But the first Argentinian pontiff did not practise what he preached. 

The darkest mystery of Francis’s 12-year reign was his persistent habit of shielding credibly accused and even convicted sexual predators from justice. 

The Pope enjoys supreme authority over the Catholic Church. 

He can twist or ignore canon law, which is supposed to punish sex offenders, and the Vatican state’s criminal law, without being challenged.

That is precisely what he did, again and again. 

Indeed, his sinister modus operandi predated his election: as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he tried to keep a priest who abused homeless boys out of jail.

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New law requires clergy in Washington to report child abuse

Religious leaders in Washington will be required to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession, under a new law signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday.

“Protecting our kids, first, is the most important thing. This bill protects Washingtonians from abuse and harm,” Ferguson said, noting Washington is one of five states in which clergy are not currently mandated reporters.

It took Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, three years to get the bill to the governor’s desk. Making sure disclosures during confidential conversations between a penitent and religious leader were not exempt was critical, she said.

“You never put somebody’s conscience above the protection of a child,” she said.

Senate Bill 5375 passed by margins of 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate. It takes effect July 27. 

It adds clergy members to the state’s list of individuals legally required to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Clergy would join school personnel, nurses, social service counselors, psychologists, and many others with a duty to report when they have “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.”

A “member of the clergy” is defined in the legislation to cover any regularly licensed, accredited, or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder, or similarly positioned religious or spiritual leader.

While disclosures in confession or other religious rites where the clergy member is bound to confidentiality are not exempt, religious leaders will retain their privilege to not be compelled to testify in related court cases or criminal proceedings.

More than half the states make clergy mandatory reporters and most exempt what is heard in a confessional. Washington will join several states, including New Hampshire and West Virginia where such conversations are not exempt.

“It says the church is not above the law, especially when it comes to protecting children,” said Mary Dispenza, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project and member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “We know children will be safer as a result of passing this law.”

Removing the confessional privilege proved the most divisive provision in legislative debates. 

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Rochester Man Who Filmed Mom Using N-Word Toward Child Was Previously Arrested for Sex Abuse of Minor

A viral video that ignited a social media firestorm and led to widespread condemnation of a Minnesota mother is now facing serious scrutiny—not only because of the woman in the video, but also because of the man who filmed it.

Shiloh Hendricks, the mother seen in a now-deleted video allegedly calling a child the N-word after he reportedly stole her 18-month-old son’s diaper bag, has raised nearly $500,000 through a GiveSendGo fundraiser to protect her family amid escalating threats, harassment, and doxxing.

According to Hendricks’ fundraising campaign:

“My name is Shiloh and I have been put into a very dire situation. I recently had a kid steal from my 18month old sons diaper bag at a park. I called the kid out for what he was. Another man, who we recently found out has had a history with law enforcement, proceeded to record me and follow me to my car. He then posted these videos online which has caused my family, and myself, great turmoil. My SSN has been leaked. My address, and phone number have been given out freely. My family members are being attacked. My eldest child may not be going back to school. Even where I exercise has been exposed.

I am asking for your help to assist in protecting my family. I fear that we must relocate. I have two small children who do not deserve this. We have been threatened to the extreme by people online. Anything will help! We cannot, and will not live in fear!

UPDATE: Where do I even begin?? The overwhelming support that my family and myself have received is unbelievable! I’ve never felt so scared, yet reassured in my life. It’s truly a whirlwind of emotions!

We are currently doing okay. No one has been harmed, and we are getting by. We are taking the proper procedures in order to stay safe from these constant threats. I’m still very frightened, and I don’t think I will feel safe until we can escape completely.

I am so grateful to all of you who have donated to my family. I never would have imagined that we would be supported to such an extreme. It still feel as if it’s too good to be true, and it’s all going to disappear. It’s such a strange feeling to be living in a blissful dream and a nightmare simultaneously.

Thank you all for your continuous support and love. We have to keep fighting for the safety of all our families, not just mine.”

The City of Rochester and Democrat officials were quick to condemn Hendricks, with Mayor Kim Norton and local NAACP leaders piling on the outrage and urging charges against her. The Rochester Police Department launched an investigation into the video.

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Report: Brazilian National in CA Was Arrested for Domestic Violence, Became a Cop, Now Accused of Rape

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in 2022 removing a requirement for police, highway patrol, and corrections officers in the state to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

Now, a foreign national Felipe Gomes, who was hired by the Belmont Police Department after the law went into effect in 2023, was arrested last week on suspicion of rape, The Blaze reported. The Brazilian national was reportedly hired despite a previous arrest in 2017 for domestic violence. 

Redwood City Police arrested Gomes at the Belmont Police Department headquarters on April 22, RCPD Sgt. Victor Figueroa said. Gomes is accused of violating penal code 261 (a)(1), which is “knowingly having sexual intercourse with an individual incapable of giving consent because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability,” according to the report. 

Gomes was subsequently booked into the San Mateo County Office Main Jail and released on $100,000 bond. Belmont Police Lt. Pete Lotti said Gomes was terminated the day after his arrest, the report states. 

Gomes was sworn in on Dec. 10 at a Belmont City Council ceremony. At the ceremony, Belmont Police Chief Ken Stenquist said Gomes was in the Brazilian Air Force and worked as air force police.

“He was a full-time police soldier and left that position when he moved to the United States. He enjoys practicing jiu jitsu and attending church when he’s not working,” Stenquist added.

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the East Palo Alto Police Department allegedly warned Chief Stenquist about Gomes before he was hired. Both law enforcement agencies said they had rejected his application due to a 2017 domestic violence arrest, KGO-TV reported. 

“The charging affidavit reviewed by KGO alleged that one year into his marriage, Gomes — who is not an American citizen but apparently has a U.S. work permit — brutally beat his wife, striking her repeatedly in the face and stomach. Gomes had allegedly done so after seeing text messages on his wife’s phone from her ex-boyfriend,” according to the report. 

An officer at the time said he saw a “large bruise that covered most of (his wife’s) left cheek and scratches to her right cheek.”

“The state attorney reportedly factored in Gomes’ claims that his wife hit and scratched him first, charged both husband and wife with battery/domestic violence, and ultimately dropped the charges,” the report details. 

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Georgia Former Democrat Congressional Candidate Who Called for Trump’s Assassination ARRESTED in Multi-State Child Sex Trafficking Sting

Carl Sprayberry — a former Democrat candidate for Georgia’s 139th House District — has been arrested as part of a sweeping, multi-agency child sex trafficking operation known as “Operation Lights Out.”

The sting, conducted between April 25 and April 28, resulted in the arrest of 19 suspects accused of attempting to exploit children online, according to WTVM.

Sprayberry, 32, who once ran for state office and publicly called for the assassination of President Donald Trump in a social media post, is among those charged with human trafficking.

In February 2025, Sprayberry tweeted:

“Donald Trump has committed an act of High Treason. Should Congress refuse to take action, he will be killed by the people, as per the Second Amendment’s existence.”

He followed up with another chilling post, implying that a Secret Service agent “should shoot him,” referring to President Trump, and declared, “It’s time to kill Trump.”

Statements like these are not just dangerous—they are criminal. Sprayberry should have been immediately arrested by the Secret Service. How someone openly threatening a President remained free — until now.

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HORROR: Mexican Illegal Alien Released by Joe Biden Arrested For Raping Little Boy as He Was Playing Outside

An illegal alien from Mexico released into the interior of the United States by Joe Biden was arrested for raping a 13-year-old boy.

The Charlotte County, Florida, Sheriff on Thursday announced 20-year-old Samuel Cobos-Carmona was arrested and charged with committing sexual battery on a child.

Sheriff Bill Prummell said Cobos-Carmona illegally entered the US for the first time in 2021 on Joe Biden’s open borders invitation. He was deported but made his way back over the US border in 2022. Cobos-Carmona fled from Texas authorities and ended up in Florida. He was caught by law enforcement in Sarasota in the summer of 2024 but released thanks to Joe Biden’s dangerous ‘catch and release’ policy.

Last week, authorities were called to a family’s home to report the sexual battery. The child victim’s mother told deputies that her son told her that Cobos-Carmona sexually assaulted him while he was playing outside with his younger brother, according to Gulf Coast News.

The child was playing hide-and-seek in the woods when Cobos-Carmona grabbed him and held him down. The illegal alien anally and orally raped the child as he tried to fight back and scream.

Cobos-Carmona initially lied to authorities and said he never sexually assaulted the boy, but he later admitted to the crimes.

The 20-year-old was charged with “lewd or lascivious battery by engaging in sexual activity with a person 12 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age,” ABC 6 reported.

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NYPD cop sexted with undercover officer posing as 14-year-old girl while overseeing youth outreach program: prosecutors

An NYPD officer tasked with community youth outreach is facing charges in two boroughs for allegedly sexting an undercover cop posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to prosecutors.

Travis N. DeSouza, 35, appeared in a Queens County court on Thursday, six months after appearing in a Brooklyn court, on child endangerment-related charges for sending sexually explicit messages to an undercover officer he believed to be just 14 years old, authorities said.

Last October, cops set out to ensnare DeSouza in a sting operation after suspecting him of unethical behavior in his capacity as a supervisor of the Police Explorers program, a NYPD youth outreach initiative for teens and young adults between 14 and 20 years old who want to pursue a career in law enforcement, according to a complaint.

An adult undercover officer approached DeSouza while posing as a youth participant in the Police Explorers program, telling the alleged perv that she was 14 years old and asking him for his phone number, the complaint stated.

“Of course, stop trying to bag me already,” the creepy cop replied to her request, according to the document.

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New York jury awards US$1.68 billion to women who accused writer and director Toback of sexual abuse

A New York jury on Wednesday awarded US$1.68 billion in damages to 40 women who accused writer and director James Toback of sexual abuse and other crimes over a span of 35 years, according to lawyers representing the plaintiffs.

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in Manhattan in 2022 after New York state instituted a one-year window for people to file lawsuits over sexual assault claims even if they took place decades ago.

It marks one of the largest jury awards since the advent of the #MeToo movement, as well as in New York state history, said attorney Brad Beckworth, of the law firm Nix Patterson LLP, in an interview. The plaintiffs, he said, believe such a large verdict will send a message to powerful individuals “who don’t treat women appropriately.”

The court had not yet released documentation of the verdict as of Wednesday night. Beckworth said the verdict included $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion for punitive damages to the plaintiffs.

“This verdict is about justice,” Beckworth said in a statement. “But more importantly, It’s about taking power back from the abusers — and their and enablers — and returning it to those he tried to control and silence.”

Beckworth said the abuse took place between 1979 and 2014.

Toback was nominated for an Oscar for writing 1991’s “Bugsy,” and his career in Hollywood has spanned more than 40 years. Accusations that he engaged in years of sexual abuse surfaced in late 2017 as the #MeToo movement gained attention. They were first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

In 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors said the statutes of limitations had expired in five cases they reviewed, and declined to bring criminal charges against Toback.

The plaintiffs then filed a lawsuit in New York a few days after the state’s Adult Survivors Act went into effect. The lawyers said they discovered a pattern of Toback attempting to lure young women on the streets of New York into meeting him by falsely promising roles in his films and then subjecting them to sexual acts, threats and psychological coercion.

Mary Monahan, a lead plaintiff in the case, called the jury award “validation” for her and the other women.

“For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me. Believed us. That changes everything,” she said in a statement. “This verdict is more than a number — it’s a declaration. We are not disposable. We are not liars. We are not collateral damage in someone else’s power trip. The world knows now what we’ve always known: what he did was real.”

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Taxpayers on the Hook for Sexual Abuse Committed by Government Employees

There is nothing more infuriating to me than adult predators who exploit and sexually abuse children.

As a former president of the board of a summer camp, it had to pay high premiums for liability insurance. Not for the mud bowl, not for rock climbing or rappelling, not for the pool. It was expensive because of the high number of claims for child molestation in that industry that had to be borne by all the other policyholders. And having the insurance is a must, as one huge claim could wipe out an entire organization.

Sexual predators not only impact the price of summer camp, they also do the same for school districts, juvenile halls, and social services providing foster care. Because some governments have not acquired adequate insurance for those services where employees interact with children, the costs are then borne by the taxpayers within the boundaries of the municipality.

In recent years, to address this abhorrent crime, you and I have become indirectly liable for the perpetrators. All that could be done was to hope that this reprobate behavior was not as prevalent as suspected. However, recent legislation upped the ante.

At a recent “California Insider” networking event, I introduced myself as someone who “predicts train wrecks in slow motion.” In 1994, I accurately predicted the Orange County Investment Pool implosion that led to the largest Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing at that time in United States history. But don’t think I get any joy out of being correct.

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Afghan migrant tells court he sodomized 13-year-old boy for ‘revenge’ against France for denying his asylum claim

An Afghan migrant confessed yesterday in court to anally raping a 13-year-old boy from the French village of Croisilles, saying he committed the act as “revenge” against France for denying his asylum claim. In the case, he confessed to raping a homeless woman in the same village.

The village became well known in the media for establishing a reception center for migrants.

Zalakahan S., the Afghan in the case, made the confession in Paris during a separate murder trial he is facing for an incident from 2022 in which he reportedly tried to stab a tourist in the neck.

Zalakahan S. said he watched the boy play football, stole his cellphone, and then brutally sodomized the victim.

At the trial, Zalakahan S. admitted to raping the boy through an interpreter, as he does not speak French. He also said he “hates Europe.”

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