The identities of 52 former Boy Scout leaders from New Jersey who allegedly sexually abused boys and were included in the organization’s so-called “Perversion Files” were revisited Tuesday by a law firm seeking to shed light on the systemic nature of the abuse and demand more information to be released.

The leaders named in the Boy Scouts of America’s documents, officially called the list “Ineligible Volunteer Files,” were first revealed in 2012. They are among 7,000-plus alleged child sex abusers across the country tied to the scouts, Jeff Anderson of Minnesota-based Jeff Anderson & Associates said.

There are 12,254 victims in those files, the firm said. The information detailed Tuesday did not identify how many of those victims are from New Jersey.

“This is about the institution failing to do the right thing, failing to disclose these names,” attorney Greg Gianforcaro, whose private firm partnered with Anderson’s law firm, said during an afternoon press conference in Newark. “It shouldn’t be us disclosing these names. It should be the Boy Scouts."

Boy Scout leaders accused of sexually abusing scouts Dozens of Boy Scout leaders in New Jersey accused of sexually abusing scouts are being put in the spotlight today. A lawyer representing the victims is discussing the case in Newark Posted by NJ.com on Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Anderson called the numbers "quite shocking and quite alarming."

Many priests who were also Boy Scout leaders are in the “perversion file,” Anderson said.

During a press conference earlier Tuesday in New York, where 130 former scout leaders were named, Anderson said that more needs to be done to make sure notifications have been made. It’s unclear how many were criminally prosecuted.

“They may have removed them from scouting, but the Boy Scouts of America have never alerted communities that this scout leader, this coach, this teacher is known to be a child molester,” Anderson said. “That is the real alarming fact that needs to be mentioned today. It’s systemic and across the country.”

The files were kept by the Boy Scouts as early as 1944, Anderson said.

The firm said Monday they would release “shocking testimony” and demand that the Boy Scouts of America release the identities, background information and files of all the accused leaders with New Jersey connections.

The Boy Scouts of America’s “Perversion Files” contains confidential documents dating back decades, tracking Scout leaders who had been dismissed from their volunteer jobs.

The Boy Scouts of America issued a statement Monday night saying that they “care deeply about all victims of child sex abuse and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting."

“We believe victims, we support them, and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice,” the statement read. “Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in Scouting and we are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children.”

Anderson said that’s not enough and accused the Boy Scouts of trying to deflect criticism.

“They minimize, they deny and they sometimes blame others,” Anderson said. “Our hope is that kids are protected better, that survivors are given a voice and that those who are responsible are held accountable for their actions."

(Map by Jeff Anderson & Associates)

The 52 names have been made public in the past in the so-called Anderson List of Sexual Abuse in the Boy Scouts in New Jersey. The names come from publicly available sources like lawsuits and court records over the past two decades.

Some of the allegations against the former Boy Scout leaders have been detailed in press reports at the time.

In Nutley, for example, the case against John Sileo, an assistant Cubmaster in Radcliffe Elementary School in Nutley and an accused cult leader, according to court records, and Michael Abidiwan, an Eagle Scout from Franklin Reformed Church in Nutley, made headlines in a Star-Ledger story from Nov. 15, 1983, as “a devil-worshipping sex cult involving at least 35 teenagers.”

The Star-Ledger reported at the time that when police raided Sileo’s home, they found drugs, alcohol, two handguns, three rifles and sexually explicit material. The Herald-News reported that police also found whips, chains, a dog collar, red and black capes, a rubber mask with horns, a satanic book and book called “The Mark of Lucifer.”

Both men were accused of sexually assaulting four Nutley boys, ages 9 to 15. According to a Herald News report, the boys were “whipped, chained, had wax burned upon their bodies and were forced to act like dogs, wearing collars and lapping milk like dogs” in Sileo’s apartment.

In 1986, Sileo and Abidiwan pleaded guilty to reduced charges of sexual assault. Abidiwan was sentenced to five years probation, while Sileo got 21 years in prison, The Star-Ledger reported. It’s unclear how much time Sileo actually served.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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