Legacy of abuse lives on in court, as Boy Scouts rebrand

For over a century, the Boy Scouts of America tried to instill into millions of boys and young men its values -- among them, trustworthiness.

But a violation of trust -- a failure to protect boys from sexual abusers in their ranks -- fueled lawsuits that forced the Scouts into a $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization and last month, a rebranding, now known as Scouting America.

But many decades after the alleged abuse occurred, its legacy still finds its way into criminal court – as it did earlier this month in Miami-Dade when a former Boy Scout leader sought release on bond on a sexual battery charge dating from the early 1970s.

From Norman Rockwell paintings to old family movies to news clips from the Wolfson Archives, images of the idyllic Boy Scout life may evoke fond memories of a time gone by.

But he told a Miami-Dade sex crimes detective, reading the name of his former scoutmaster in a newspaper article about suspected abusers transported one former Miami Boy Scout from Troop 272 out of Coral Park Elementary to a time he’d tried to forget.

“He’s been a person who tried to keep it inside. This is a man who is in his 60s and when he spoke to me, he clearly broke down, he was in tears. You could see he was a broken man at that time,” Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Det. Paul Espana testified at the suspect’s bond hearing.

That “broken” man is now 63, and his allegation that Joseph Motes sexually battered him at a lake near Tropical Park led to Motes’ indictment in October.

The scout was under 12 years old at that time in the early 1970s, so Motes faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted as charged.

Motes has pleaded not guilty and, in arguing for his release on bond, his attorney, Michael Gottlieb, said there’s reason to believe he is innocent.

“They don’t have a year. They don’t have witnesses. They don’t have scientific evidence,” Gottlieb told Judge Lody Jean of the state’s case. “What we have are incredibly vague allegations, a point in time that we know … military records don’t place him in South Florida.”

Motes was indeed in the Marines, including in Vietnam and at bases in North Carolina, during that period, though Espana testified that doesn’t mean he was not back home in Miami for stretches of time.

And prosecutors cited other military records, from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, containing accusations Motes used his position in Scouts to molest other boys back in those days, though no charges were filed.

“You’re talking about somewhat consistent allegations from all the victims,” Judge Jean reasoned, “in that the victims are all males, and that they are of these teenage years and some prepubescent and there are numerous-- four, at least -- four from NCIS.”

Saying Motes, 76, was a risk to flee if released on bond, she ordered him continued to be held until trial.

Until now Motes had no arrest record. He’s served as an American Legion Post officer and ran Star Trek conventions for years, dressing in costume and driving around South Florida in the 1980s with the license plate “Trekkie” and stickers from the science fiction TV show on his car, as seen in news features at the time.

Much has changed outwardly for Motes since he was featured in those spots promoting his Star Trek conventions, but his accuser told police who showed him a photo of Motes at least one thing hasn’t.

“When I confirmed that’s who he was, he said, ‘I can never forget that face with those eyes,’” Espana testified.

Police questioned the former Scout after being contacted by Boy Scouts headquarters after the alleged victim filed a claim, Espana said. By then he’d read Motes’ name in the news article, learned of billions of dollars being paid out to compensate victims, and had researched Motes’ life over the ensuing decades, Motes’ lawyer pointed out to the judge at the bond hearing.

“He said it broke him down and he decided to come forward and provide a statement,” Espana testified, “maybe to help other victims, he said, or to help himself.”

If convicted, Motes’ name would be added to a list of more than 7,000 Scout leaders accused of sexually abusing children over the decades.

Among them -- according to Scout files released as part of a lawsuit more than a decade ago, court records and the state Department of Corrections database -- several from South Florida, including:

• A scoutmaster who pled guilty to a 1985 sexual battery during a backyard campout with a 10-year-old boy; sentenced to life, he died in prison in 2017;

• A Wilton Manors scoutmaster, now 64, who pled guilty in 1984 to molesting three 11-year-olds; after his release in 1991 from a nine-year sentence, he was convicted in 1997 of lewd assault on child under 16 and sentenced to 13 more years; released in 2018, he is now a registered sexual predator living in Fort Pierce;
• An assistant scoutmaster from Troop 8 in Miami who was accused in 1969 of molesting three scouts under age 14, but not convicted; he went on to commit lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 12 in 2006 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, where he died in 2009; and
• A leader of Troop 301 who was accused in 1969 of molesting a 9-year-old boy whose mother declined to prosecute after the suspect promised to get psychiatric help and enlist in the Army.

The last of those men would go on to molest a child in Texas, according to court records, and then in 1998 get 12 years in Florida prison for molesting a 7-year-old girl. After his release in 2010, he was seen using a dog to entice children to come into close contact with him, a violation of probation for which he was returned to prison until 2019. He is now a registered sexual predator living in Orlando.

As for Motes and the man who says his trust as a boy was betrayed, Espana told the court the alleged victim “wants him to stay in jail. He doesn’t want him to come out … He said it brings back tremors and fear that he could get hurt … it still brings the fears of him being a child and this happening to him again.”

Motes’ attorney said he will continue to fight the sexual battery charge in court – the only criminal charge he is facing.

The newly rebranded Scouting America tells NBC6 “the safety and protection of youth in our programs … is our top priority.”

Among their “barriers to abuse:” requiring at least two youth-protection trained adults be present with youth during Scouting activities; banning one-on-one interactions with adults, whether in person, online, or via phone or text; and mandating reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse to law enforcement.

To report suspected abuse or other inappropriate behavior, they set up a “helpline” (1-844-SCOUTS1) for phone calls and anonymous texting.