SAN JOSE — A South Bay man is suing a former den master he claims sexually abused him in 2008 and the local Boy Scouts of America council for allegedly not intervening beforehand despite obvious warning signs.

The man at the center of the civil lawsuit, Ronald Guinto, was convicted in January of 87 of 90 counts in a separate East Bay case involving child molestation, kidnapping and dissuading his victims from testifying against him. Prosecutors said Guinto used his position as a teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond and founder of a youth program called Camp Epic to molest boys.

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Defendants plead not guilty, opt for speedy trial in Santa Clara County concealed-gun permit bribery case The now 18-year-old plaintiff in the Santa Clara County lawsuit, “J.A.,” was one of 15 boys authorities identified as having had sexual contact with Guinto as far back as 2002 in the East Bay and South Bay. But the boy’s attorney said there was no criminal case againt Guinto in Santa Clara County.

In a statement Friday, the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America said Guinto has not been involved in the organization since 2012 and was barred from future participation in 2014.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our youth members,” the statement said. “We seek to prevent child abuse through comprehensive policies and procedures to serve as barriers to abuse.”

Those policies and procedures include a “thorough screening process” for adult leaders and staff, criminal background checks, requiring two or more adult leaders to be present with youths at all times during scouting activities and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse, according to the statement.

In 2008, Guinto was named den master of Pack 220 in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose despite having no children of his own and no scouting or wilderness experience, according to the suit, which was filed Thursday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

The lawsuit claims Guinto befriended then-9-year-old J.A. after he joined the pack that summer. He gave him special attention, including help with his homework, and paid for his gear. This “grooming behavior” continued with Guinto gaining the trust of J.A.’s mother and eventually driving the boy home from meetings in violation of the policy that prohibits one-on-one contact between leaders and youths, according to the suit.

Things came to a head that fall during an overnight weekend camping trip in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The lawsuit claims Guinto obtained “parent proxies,” something not permitted by the Boy Scouts, which allowed him to act as legal guardian for J.A. and another boy.

As a result, the three shared a tent. A 14-year-old scout confronted Guinto about the sleeping arrangements, and other parents and volunteers were aware but did nothing, according to the suit. J.A. claims he awoke one night to find Guinto fondling the other boy.

Guinto also played a game during the trip called “cup check” in which he smacked the genitals of scouts, according to the lawsuit. A parent filed a formal written complaint about Guinto’s behavior with two employees of the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America, but the suit says he was never reprimanded.

A few months later, Guinto drove J.A. home from a meeting at Lincoln Glen Church and molested him, according to the suit. The church is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit because it was the chartered organization that supervised the operations of Pack 220.

Robert Allard, the San Jose-based attorney representing J.A. said the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America could have prevented harm to his client and many other children by simply following the law and its own rules.

“From beginning to end, the Boy Scouts completely failed in their responsibilities to protect our youths,” Allard said. “Red flags were all over the place,” he continued. “They did not heed them. They did not restrict (Guinto) in any way. And something very preventable happened to at least two boys, affecting them for the rest of their lives.”

Allard said his client struggles to interact with, trust and love other people as a result of the alleged abuse.

“He was betrayed in a horrendous fashion by someone he very much trusted and who was completely unsupervised by those within the Boys Scouts allowing this to happen,” Allard said.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages in excess of $25,000 for sexual assault and battery; negligence; negligent training, supervision, monitoring and retention; and intentional infliction of emotional distress.