VESTAL, NY (WSKG) -- A Manhattan law firm has released the names of former Boy Scout leaders across New York who allegedly abused children.
Jeff Anderson and Associates claims the Boy Scouts of America hid this information for decades.
"When we got this information, we had to sound the alarm," said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer with Jeff Anderson and Associates. "[...]As we reviewed these files and distilled this information, there are 130 in New York alone."
Anderson spoke Tuesday at press conference in Manhattan.
The report lists the names of about a dozen scout leaders in the Southern Tier:
Binghamton
Robert J. Carson - Troop 24, Troop 166
James L. Heath - Pack 40
Corning
Bradford Kaopuiki - Troop 11
Cortland
Richard William Latham - Troop 87
John Dudley Moulton - Troop 11
Elmira
Richard H. Felker - Explorer 75 (also Horseheads)
Thomas E. Noyes - Troop 15
Guy K. Sparks - Troop 20
Endicott
Jack Hooper - Troop 234
Groton
James Warren Smith - Troop 77
Horseheads
Richard H. Felker - Sea Scouts 75 (also Elmira)
Johnson City
David W. Pugh - Troop 104
Lodi
Guy K. Sparks - Camp Unknown
Norwich
Timothy C. Ward - Troop 63
Odessa
Daryl E. VonNeida Troop 50
The information dates back to the 1940s.
Anderson said the scout leaders were removed by the Boy Scouts of America, but the group kept the information secret. “The bad news is this is far from a full disclosure of what the Boy Scouts actually knew and is reflected in all the files because all the files have not been excavated,” he said.
All in all, the files list the names of 7,800 alleged abusers. The Boy Scouts of America say it never knowingly allowed a perpetrator to work with kids.
"We care deeply about all victims of child abuse and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting," said the Boy Scots said in a statement. "We believe victims, we support them, and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice."
"Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in Scouting and we are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children," the statement continued.
The law firm’s release comes months after New York passed a law that expands the statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases and creates a one-year look back for people previously barred by the statute to sue their abuser.
That goes into effect August 14.
*This story has been updated to include a statement from the Boy Scouts of America.