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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah organization has been sued by a man who claims the group did not do enough to stop a former mentor from sexually abusing him when he was a boy over a period lasting nearly five years.
The mentor, Antonio Cardenas, pleaded guilty to child sex abuse involving the same alleged victim in 2012 and is now serving a 35-year prison sentence.
The group was served with the lawsuit Tuesday and its president and CEO, Nancy Winemiller Basinger, said in a statement Wednesday that the organization was saddened that a child was exploited by one of its former mentors. The statement did not address in detail the allegations of the lawsuit.
Basinger said the organization uses strict guidelines created with help from national experts to keep children safe — but the lawsuit alleged they were not followed during the years that Cardenas preyed on the boy. His mother had sought out a male role model because her son’s father was not involved with the boy’s upbringing.
1 in 5 New York Kids Are Sexually Abused. Help Prevent That
The CDC reports that 1 in 5 children are sexually abused.
9 out of 10 of the perpetrators are never brought to justice and never appear on sex offender registries.
They are protected by New York State laws.
Sign this petition and change that. Protect NY Kids.