February 11, 2025

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Pa. attorney normal charges five Jehovah’s Witnesses with rape, sexual abuse of kids

Pa. attorney normal charges five Jehovah’s Witnesses with rape, sexual abuse of kids

5 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been billed with raping and exploiting little ones as section of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into the organization’s managing of sexual abuse cases.

Point out Lawyer Basic Michelle Henry announced the fees Friday and claimed the scenarios ended up linked to Witness congregations across the condition, and that some of the sexual assaults happened a long time ago.

The incidents shared a prevalent thread, Henry reported: Just about every of the abusers located their victims by way of the church and then exploited them.

“The five defendants that we have billed right now ended up all grown ups in positions of believe in with these victims,” Henry claimed at a information conference. “They violated that have confidence in and they abused these kids. Little ones are some of our most vulnerable associates of society and they ought to be nurtured and shielded. But alternatively of protecting these small children, the defendants violated and abused them.”

Just one victim explained to investigators she had been raped 50 to 75 occasions among the ages of 7 and 12, in accordance to court files.

Between all those billed was David Balosa, 61, of Philadelphia.

A spouse and children at a Witness congregation in the city’s Olney community invited Balosa to stay with them immediately after he moved to the location from Angola. Balosa, then 35, sexually abused their 4-year-aged daughter in the basement, in accordance to courtroom paperwork.

Balosa has not nonetheless been apprehended by authorities.

Yet another suspect was an elder, the equal of a priest, at an Upper Darby Witness congregation, in accordance to the grand jury presentment.

In an emailed statement, the United States branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses said any sexual abuse, whether of a youngster or adult, “sickens” the corporation, but declined to comment specifically on the charges declared Friday.

“That possessing been mentioned, the information of anyone currently being sexually abused, irrespective of whether a baby or an grownup, sickens us. Boy or girl sexual abuse in specific is a twisted act of evil.”

The statement also stated the corporation operates to eliminate “unrepentant perpetrators” from the congregation. The local community also educates and warns mother and father about abuse and presents support and pastoral care to victims, the organization claimed.

“Anyone who has been victimized has the comprehensive support of the congregation to report the issue to the authorities,” Witnesses stated in the assertion.

Friday’s charges are the most recent progress in an ongoing and expansive investigation by the Legal professional General’s Workplace into sexual abuse in the Witness local community.

That investigation adopted a 2018 Inquirer report that discovered that Witness leaders have, for many years, worked to avoid info about youngster sexual assaults from turning into general public, and ostracized victims who reported abuse to law enforcement.

» Read through Far more: Silent Witnesses: An insular society and archaic rules have established a “recipe for little one abuse.”

Questioned if Witness officials had discouraged victims’ people from speaking to legislation enforcement officers, Henry declined to remark.

Since previous Oct, the Attorney General’s Office has billed 14 guys from the Witness local community with sexually abusing minors.

The five charged Friday were being Balosa Errol William Hall, 50, of Delaware County, an elder at the Higher Darby congregation Shaun Sheffer, 45, of Butler County Terry Booth, 57, of Panama Metropolis, Fla. and Luis Ayala-Velasquez, 55, of Berks County.

All but Balosa were in custody. It was unclear if any of those billed experienced retained legal professionals.

Henry praised the bravery of the victims who arrived ahead to report the abuse.

“Many of these incidents and offenses transpired a extensive time back, even a long time ago. But as a longtime boy or girl abuse prosecutor, I can explain to you that the trauma endures for these victims,” she said.

The Lawyer General’s Business inspired any person with information about the investigation to get in touch with the office’s hotline at 888-538-8541. Reviews of youngster sexual abuse can also be manufactured to ChildLine, at 1-800-932-0313.