NEW YORK YOUTH FACILITY SEXUAL ABUSE LAWYERS

Introduction

GGH is activity investigating sexual abuse at juvenile facilities in New York, including:

• August Aichorn Center
• Brentwood Residential Center
• Brookwood Secure Center
• Capital District Juvenile Secure Detention Center
• Children’s Village
• Crossroads Juvenile Center
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
• Ella McQueen Reception Center
• Family Foundation School
• Four Winds Hospital
• Goshen Secure Center
• Graham Windham
• Harriet Tubman Residential Center
• Highland Residential Center
• Hawthorne Cedar Knolls
• Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center
• Hillside Children’s Center
• Horizon Juvenile Detention Center
• House of the Good Shepherd
• Industry Residential Center
• JCCA – Westchester (Pleasantville Cottage School and Edenwald Center)
• Liberty Resources
• MercyFirst
• Monroe County Children’s Detention Center
• Rising Ground
• Rockland Psychiatric Center
• South Oaks Hospital
• Spofford Juvenile Detention Center 
• St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester
• Taberg Residential Center for Girls
• Together for Youth
• Villa of Hope
• WellLife Network

For years, these facilities operated in the shadows, with little accountability. Survivors are now stepping forward, their voices demanding justice and systemic reform. GGH’s investigation aims to shed light on these dark corners, ensuring that no child is ever sent to such a place again—a place where the promise of rehabilitation turned into a betrayal of humanity.

Here below are more details of abuse at different New York facilities:

• In August 2007, three former employees of the August Aichorn Center were accused of sexually abusing four girls.
• In December 2023, Ovzie Cannon, a youth support specialist at Brentwood Residential Center, pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old inmate after giving her marijuana edibles.
• In April 2024, former Brookwood Secure Center psychologist Maya Hayes was charged with 65 counts of sexual abuse, including rape, involving eight victims, and allegedly forcing inmates to fight for her enjoyment.
• In June 2021, Michesha Cancer, a former employee at Capital District Juvenile Secure Detention Center, was arrested for allegedly raping a resident.

In October 2022, a teenager died after falling ill, despite being healthy upon admission.

A 2022 report documented 11 cases of abuse and inappropriate restraints.

• In 2020, former residents of Children’s Village filed nearly a dozen lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by staff from the 1970s to 1990s and claiming the organization failed to prevent or report the abuse.

In October 2024, former Children’s Village employee Rebecca Jean-Baptiste was convicted and sentenced for raping a 16-year-old resident in 2021.

A lawsuit revealed the repeated assault of a 12-year-old boy by residents and staff from 1996 to 2001.

A lawsuit revealed a 12-year-old boy was sexually abused by older residents and two female staff members from 2002 to 2006.

In 2003, a 14-year-old boy was allegedly sodomized with a broomstick by another resident while a counselor held him down.

• In 2015, Crossroads Juvenile Center former counselor Victor Silva allegedly beat a youth inmate, used an improper chokehold, and filed a false report. Former inmates and advocates allege staff sexually abused inmates, with a culture of secrecy to hide the abuse and protect employees.

• In August 2024, Oscar Sosa Amaya, an employee at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, was convicted of abusing a non-verbal 14-year-old autistic resident recovering from brain surgery in April 2022.

In July 2008, teacher Mandi Weeks was charged with sexually abusing a vulnerable 15-year-old student, including incidents of rape at his home and in a parking lot.

• In 2016, Barry Proctor, a former aide at Ella McQueen Reception Center, was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

In 2011, lawsuits accused staff of physically abusing youth by punching and slamming them to the ground.

• In 2018, The New York Times reported that over  100 alumni of the Family Foundation School, which closed in 2014, died young, with survivors blaming abuse and harsh methods, leading to lawsuits under the Child Victims Act for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

In April 2024, former teacher Paul Geer was indicted for allegedly coercing students into crossing state lines for sexual abuse and imposing extreme disciplinary measures like forcing students to eat vomit, confinement, and food deprivation.

• In February 2017, a woman testified that her 13-year-old daughter was repeatedly sexually assaulted at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah in 2015.

In the same month, hospital employee Dominic R. Sbordone, 31, was arrested for sexually abusing a 19-year-old patient.

• In May 2020, an investigation revealed that an inmate from Goshen Secure Center was forced to perform sexual acts on another inmate.
• In 2015, a resident was arrested for attempting to rape a female at Graham Windham’s health center.
• In December 2023, Ali VanGiesen, a staff member at Harriet Tubman Residential Center, was accused of encouraging a fight between two female residents.
• In January 2024, a lawsuit claimed a 10-year-old boy was sexually abused by a priest linked to Highland Residential Center in 1965.

In 2017, teacher’s assistant Nicole Potts-Miller was accused of sexual contact with two male youths.

In 2010, a 16-year-old resident died by suicide at the facility.

• In December 2018, federal authorities charged 19 people with sex trafficking girls, including nine residents from the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls treatment center, which closed that year due to safety concerns.
• In 2024, staff misconduct at Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center were reported included hiring Amir Andrews, a parolee for attempted murder, who was later accused of sexual assault and giving drugs to minors.

Other staff members, including Pierre Reese and Jobie Patterson, were arrested for alleged sexual abuse and involvement in child pornography.

• In May 2018, Henry Taylor Jr., a former Hillside Children’s Center employee, was charged with choking a teen with special needs.

In 2019, a parent sued the facility, alleging that employee Jeffrey Webster sexually assaulted her child in 2018.

• The Horizon Juvenile Detention Center has faced ongoing allegations of staff misconduct, including providing contraband and engaging in sexual abuse of inmates, with investigations, arrests, and lawsuits revealing systemic issues from 2015 to 2023. The city settled claims that staff turned youth inmates into “sex slaves” while others ignored the abuse.

In April 2023, former staff member Natasha Robinson was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual acts with a youth inmate.

In 2019, a lawsuit accused counselor Nathalie Medford of repeated sexual abuse.

• In February 2025, House of the Good Shepherd staff member Jaden Chamberlain was arrested for allegedly having unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. 

Other reports from 2003 to 2007 revealed multiple staff members had sexual relationships with residents.

• In January 2025, former Industry Residential Center staff member Jerica Costich was arrested for allegedly raping an 18-year-old detainee.

In 2011, lawsuits alleged that staff physically abused residents by slamming them to the ground and using improper restraints.

• In 2023, officials urged the closure of JCCA – Westchester (Pleasantville Cottage School and Edenwald Center) due to 459 police calls in six months, dangerous conditions, inadequate staffing, and failure to meet residents’ needs.
• In February 2017, Oneida authorities arrested Liberty Resources counselor Javaughn Hall for allegedly sexually abusing a resident in three separate incidents in December 2016.

• In 2019, a former MercyFirst youth counselor, Miguel Cutignola, pled guilty to sexually abusing a 15-year-old resident. 

In 2016, a mother sued after her 16-year-old daughter went missing while in the facility’s custody.

• In December 2022, former Monroe County Children’s Detention Center employee Gregory Bodine claimed staff allowed a “fight club,” while another employee, John Kanu, was charged with permitting slap-boxing and hitting a juvenile.

In 2020, lawsuits alleged staff committed sexual abuse, including rape and forced prostitution.

• In July 2023, Rising Ground teacher Sandy Carazas-Pinez was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old student and making child pornography.
• In 2014, Rockland Psychiatric Center aide Troy Elting was arrested for allegedly raping a patient.

In 2013, aide Lincoln Wallace was charged with abusing a special needs boy by restraining and slamming him onto a table.

• In October 2024, South Oaks Hospital youth counselor Renee Hoberman was arrested for distributing child pornography and allegedly producing it.

In 2023, a lawsuit claimed a staff member sexually assaulted a sedated patient in June 2022.

• In 2011, the City of New York closed the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center after decades of abuse allegations, including sexual assaults, physical violence, and a staff-run drug cartel.
• In May 2004, a former patient was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting another patient at St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester, which had 27 reports of abuse, including sodomy and sexual assault, investigated between 1997 and 2004.
• In 2020, a lawsuit alleged that staff at Taberg Residential Center for Girls, including Michael Montana, physically and sexually abused residents, with others using violence against non-compliant residents.

• In June 2019, former Together for Youth (formerly Berkshire Farm Center) clinician Kelli Wagers at was accused of sexual acts with a youth.

In 2011, two staff members allegedly slammed a resident’s head into the ground.

• Lawsuits allege severe sexual abuse at Villa of Hope (formerly St. Joseph’s Villa) since the 1970s, including forced oral sex, sodomy, and abuse by the chaplain, who reportedly began abusing a child as young as 8 years old.
• In February 2024, Hayden Daley, a former WellLife Network employee, was indicted for allegedly raping a 13-year-old resident multiple times in 2023 and continuing the abuse after resigning.

Contact Us

The legal journey in sexual abuse cases requires more than just expertise—it requires empathy, sensitivity, and an unwavering commitment to justice. At GGH, we understand the profound impact that sexual abuse has on survivors and their families. We stand firm in our belief that survivors of sexual abuse have the right to seek justice, hold perpetrators accountable, and begin the process of healing.

The GGH team is dedicated to ensuring that survivors' voices are heard and their stories respected. We are here to help you navigate the legal process with care and confidence, advocating for the justice and closure you deserve.

Contact GGH Today for a free consultation at (312) 728-7444 or contact us online.