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Chicago Public School military education chief resigns following mishandling of sex abuse case

The Chicago Sun-Times published an article revealing that the military education chief who oversaw the Chicago Public School’s (CPS) military instruction program, Col. Daniel Baggio, has resigned after “systemic failures” in his handling of a sex abuse case. According to CPS, 7,300 students are enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program across 44 schools. This makes the Chicago JROTC the largest in the nation. An investigation by the CPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) exposed widespread failures regarding Baggio’s oversight of Chicago’s JROTC. Investigation Leads to Resignation The OIG investigation revealed that Baggio failed to notify local and state officials of the suspected abuse of a student at Roosevelt High School in February 2019. Baggio’s inaction allowed the JROTC instructor to continue to sexually abuse the student for another nine months. The instructor was eventually arrested, ending the abuse. Last semester (Spring 2022), Col. Baggio signed a severance agreement with the district following the investigation. Following the CPS sexual abuse scandal exposed by the Chicago Tribune the polices protecting students from sexual misconduct have began to be rewritten. Even with these updated polices in place, under Baggio, at least six CPS JROTC instructors and administrative personnel were…

Danville teacher & cheerleading coach Nicholas Moseby faces new charges in sex abuse probe

The Mercury News reports that the Contra Costa District Attorney has filed three additional criminal charges against Danville middle school teacher and cheerleading coach Nicholas Moseby. These new charges stem from the authorities identifying two new victims in the case against Moseby. This brings the total number of alleged victims to four. Moseby already faces three felony counts related to alleged sexual abuse of two other girls. On Tuesday September 27, he was also charged with one felony count of committing a lewd act upon a child younger than 16, and two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and annoying or molesting a minor. At his arraignment, Moseby pleaded not guilty. The new charges come as the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office continues its investigation into allegations against Moseby. Dozens of tips came in as news of his arrest has spread throughout the community. Moseby worked for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District as a biology teacher. He also worked for a private youth cheerleading organization called Nor Cal Elites as a cheerleading coach. Following his arrest he was placed on leave by the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and was fired by Nor Cal Elites. Initial Arrest Moseby…

Counterintuitive Behaviors in Trauma Survivors

Behavior of a victim during or following an assault oftentimes appears unexpected to outside observers. Rather than reacting in the way that many people would presume someone would, victims commonly exhibit superficial behavior that seems counterintuitive. This is especially true when someone is the victim of a sexual assault, the way they appear can seem to many to not fit with their concept of having suffered such a dramatic event. In a sort of paradox, the perception of the way someone reacts to a traumatic event and general expectations of survivor behavior can vary widely depending on the context of the situation. For example, in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15, 2013, Bostonians went back to work and the injured moved forward with their lives as soon as they could manage. The Boston Strong movement rose up and city went back to normal operations. Surviving an Assault In stack contrast, when the survivor of a sexual assault tries to go back to normal life, the general view is that it simply didn’t happen. Counterintuitive behavior victims exhibit during or following a sexual assault, include: Not resisting or fighting back the attack Not calling for help when…

New Laws Passed Eliminating the Statue of Limitations for Sexual Assault Survivors

On Friday, September 16, 2022, President Biden signed a bill that will eliminate the statute of limitations to file civil claims for those who were sexually abused as minors. Titled, The Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act, the bill was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a voice vote on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, after passing the US Senate by unanimous consent in March. The bill eliminates any kind of time constraints for survivors to file civil claims related to sex abuse crimes against minors including sexual abuse, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, and forced labor. Before the passing of the bill, minors who survived sexual abuse were able to file federal claims until a decade after the violation or injury was discovered or until they reached the age of 28. California AB-2777 Similar to the The Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill (AB) 2777 into law on Monday, September 19, 2022. Known as The Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, this new law extends the statute of limitations for anyone who was sexually assaulted on or after their…

Attorneys for survivors of high school referee Darwin Tengco

The Mercury News reports that a high school referee has been criminally charged with having sex with an underage student from Independence High School in San Jose earlier this year. The crime allegedly occurred when referee Darwin Tengco was visiting the campus to officiate boys’ volleyball matches. According to police, a female student reported in August that a boy’s volleyball referee had sexually assaulted her after school in April. Tengco was later identified during an investigation by the San Jose Police Department Child Exploitation Detail. He was subsequently charged with one felony count of sexual penetration of a person under the age of 18. Tengco was booked at the Santa Clara County jail on September 1, and was later released after posting bail. According to the East Side Union High School District, they are fully cooperating with the investigation. Tengco works for a private referee service and is not an employee of the district. While Tengco has been charged and is awaiting trial, the investigation into his crimes is ongoing. Due to the nature of the allegations, his position of authority, and access to students, San Jose Police believe there is a possibility that there could be other unreported victims…

Attorneys for survivors of STARS Prep Academy Coach Chris “Coach Frogg” Flores

CBS Los Angeles reports that former coach at STARS Prep Academy in Orange, Christopher M. Flores has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting two teenage girls. Flores, also known as “Coach Frogg”, is accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl in Santa Ana and a 15-year-old girl in Riverside according to Santa Ana police. Charges include four counts of lewd acts on a child age 14 or 15 and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object with a victim younger than 16. All charges brought against Flores are felonies and he faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison if convicted. The 14-year-old girl was part of the STARS Prep Academy and Flores is accused of having sexual relations with her throughout 2021. The alleged crimes occurred at various locations in Santa Ana, including a camp at Calvary High School, and a location in Anaheim. Officials at STARS Prep Academy have stated that they have severed ties with Flores after learning about the allegations. While Flores is currently being held on $500,000 bail at the Orange Count Jail, the full scope of his abuse is not yet known. Authorities believe…

Attorneys for survivors of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Essex

CBS Los Angeles has reported that Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Essex has been charged with over 30 counts of sex crimes involving children. Essex was indicted on Tuesday August 9, 2022 by a grand jury on a total of 33 counts including 18 counts of oral sex acts with a child, 12 counts of of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 years old, two counts of sexual acts with a child younger than 14, and one count of possession of child pornography. Included in the charges are those from a 2006 case that was previously declined by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. Essex pleaded not guilty and if convicted could face life in prison. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department fired Essex following a criminal and internal investigation in 2018. The termination was overturned by the Civil Service Commission according to the LASD, which ordered the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to reinstate Essex. Essex has again been relieved of duty, and according to department officials, the LASD is working to remove his pay. If you or a loved one is a survivor of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Essex, the team of compassionate attorneys at…

Attorneys for survivors of Summit Middle School Teacher Leonard Alan Grams

An article published by the Summit Daily News reports that Summit Middle School physical education teacher Leonard Alan Grams has been arrested on multiple felony counts of sexual assault of a child. A Summit County resident since 1997, Grams was a project initiative teacher and taught physical education at Summit Middle School. According to Clear Creek County Judge Cynthia Jones, Grams faces five counts of sex assault on a child and three counts of sex assault on a child by a person in position of trust. Grams could face a sentence of life in prison if convicted of all charges. According to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the Summit County School District received seven reports of alleged sexual misconduct by Grams between September 30, 2021 and October 24, 2021. Female students at Summit Middle School claimed that Grams had inappropriately engaged in unlawful sexual contact with the victims during class activities. These allegations led to an initial investigation by school district officials. The investigation resulted in school district officials identifying Grams as the teach in question and information was sent to the Sheriff’s Office on October 27, 2021. Upon receiving the report by the school district, the Summit County Sheriff’s…

Attorneys for survivors of Mormon Church sexual abuse

A recent article published by the Associated Press reports on how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its policy towards sexual abuse within the church does little to stop abuse and protect victims. Rather than helping those in need, this policy has lead to a system that is misused by church leaders in order to prevent the truth from being exposed. The article reveals that rather than report abuse accusations to law enforcement, the Mormon church keeps accusations within a closed loop system in order to protect the church’s reputation and to shield the church from potentially expensive lawsuits. An integral part of the Mormon church’s policy includes a help line that refers any reports of abuse that may be a risk to the church to a Salt Lake City law firm. According to a Bishop quoted in the article, when he followed church policy and reported that a member of his ward was sexually assaulting his 5-year-old daughter he called the abuse to the help line. The attorneys on the line informed the Bishop that the church is exempt from reporting child abuse because of Utah law, due to what they specifically refer to as clergy-penitent privilege….

Attorneys for survivors of Marshall gynecologist Dr. Mark Walker

The Battle Creek Enquirer recently published an article reporting that Dr. Mark Walker, a Marshall gynecologist, is facing new charges of sexually assault while already awaiting trial on charges that he assaulted a teenager. The three women in the new case say the physician sexually assaulted them more than eight years ago while they were his patients. Arraigned in Calhoun County District Court, Walker is now facing an additional three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of indecent exposure. Walker was first charged in 2019 after being accused of assaulting a teenager in 2011, and his medical license was suspended following these initial charges. In that case, the victim said she was a high school student who was spending time at Mansion Street Women’s Health as a job shadow when Walker groped her. The three women accusing Walker say that he assaulted them while they were patients at Mansion Street Women’s Health at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall. They include a 49-year-old woman who said she was assaulted by Walker when she was 38, a 46-year-old woman who said she was assaulted when she was 26, and a 28-year-old woman who alleges she…

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