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The attorney, representing more than 200 women who say they were sexually abused while in LA County juvenile custody, is seeking a federal investigation.
Even after recording a $4 billion settlement in April for sexual abuse claims by more than 6,800 victims, lawyers Courtney Tom and John Murray said Tuesday that no one has been charged in connection with the sexual abuse claims.
“One of the current or former LA County probation department officers have not been charged and no one has been arrested,” Tom said. “Without a full investigation into what happened, how can anyone, including the Board of Supervisors, who is tasked with maintaining a safe environment for their citizens, ensure that this will never happen again?
The demand for action comes about two weeks after California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in July that the juvenile system was deployed on receiving vessels for what is called the “public safety crisis.”
Since the 2021 settlement agreement overseeing the county’s juvenile facilities, Bonta has argued that the county has failed to comply with court rulings and orders regarding the management of the system’s location.
The lawyer wrote to US lawyer Bill Essayri on Tuesday, detailing his request for a federal investigation.
Lawyers alleged that sexual abuse occurred in “boot camps,” which was run by a separate probation office from the juvenile hall. Hundreds of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 who committed misdemeanors were sent to camp by family members and juvenile courts, they said.
The county’s attorney’s office said in a statement that, due to decades of childhood sexual abuse, records are often no longer available due to statutory requirements.
The lawyers added that in the majority of claims, the plaintiff’s attorneys “has not produced any evidence that would allow the county to identify the perpetrator,” but they support efforts to ensure that those who committed the crime against minors “have been “prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law.”
“We, led by our Board of Supervisors, will continue to work to reform our system to protect young people in our care and do everything in our power to ensure that the victims get the justice they deserve,” the lawyer said in a statement.
NBC4 contacted a spokesman for the US Lawyer’s Office in Los Angeles who declined to comment. The probation department has not responded to NBC4’s request for comment.
County Board of Supervisors Chair Katherine Berger said in a statement that he would support the process if U.S. lawyers determine that federal investigations are guaranteed.
“Survivors deserve the truth, and it’s a clear signal that such harm will never be tolerated again,” Berger said.
Attorney John Murray said the purpose of the request was to bring criminal charges to the federal government if possible, but added that it deserves to know who is responsible for the abused residents and survivors.
“The people of the state, and the people of our country, especially the survivors, deserve to know how this happened,” Manly said.
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