Westmoreland County man charged in latest Jehovah's Witness sex abuse case

by Tahoe 5 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Tahoe

  Link to article
  

  A Westmoreland man was recently charged with sexually assaulting and molesting a young girl by a statewide grand jury that has been investigating sex abuse among elders in Jehovah’s Witness congregations across Pennsylvania for years.

  Ronald W. Mangone, 69, who was a member of the Jehovah’s Witness congregation in New Kensington, allegedly abused the girl beginning at the age of 6 from 1991 to 1994, according to a police complaint filed April 2.

  A second girl also was allegedly sexually abused by the suspect in the late 1980s, but law enforcement agents say they were unable to charge him because the statute of limitations had expired.

  Mr. Mangone now faces three felony charges and five misdemeanor charges for sexually assaulting and endangering a minor.

  He is the latest suspect in a wide-ranging investigation that has so far led to the arrests of at least 14 others from Jehovah’s Witness congregations on similar charges since 2022.

  “What's going on in Pennsylvania has much much broader implications,” said Mark O’Donnell, a longtime advocate for sexual assault victims in the congregations and a witness who has appeared before the grand jury.

  The sweeping investigation in Pennsylvania, launched by the attorney general’s office in 2019, is the first to target Jehovah’s Witness groups in what has been described by some law enforcement agents as a longstanding problem within the religious organization..

  “It’s groundbreaking,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “This really hasn't been done in other states.”

  Records show that Western Pennsylvania is “right in the epicenter,” he said, pointing to reports that show eight of the 15 alleged perpetrators charged so far from Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cambria and Westmoreland counties.

  In 2022, a man from Butler County — Eric E. Eleam — was arrested on charges of rape and sexual assault of minors. When police appeared at his home to arrest him, he shot and killed himself before he could be taken into custody.

  Jehovah’s Witness congregations have a long history in the region. The religious organization was founded in Pittsburgh in the late 19th century with a small group of Bible students. Soon, their ranks grew to thousands — and now millions — across the country.

  A preliminary hearing for Mr. Mangone is scheduled for May 30.
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  careful

  Thx Tahoe for the post. What's going n in PA makes me wonder whether other states will follow their lead:

  “It’s groundbreaking,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “This really hasn't been done in other states.”
  
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  Balaamsass2

  Thanks for the quick catch on this fresh story Tahoe!

  I am surprised at the slow movement of these PA statewide Criminal investigations. I expected to see some GB members on the hot seat by now for conspiracy.
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  ThomasMore

  I also expect to hear one GB eventually but so far it has been dragging. Other states need to get on board and start prosecuting JWs for CSA. If they think it could anger people, they should know that most people will cheer them on.
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  TonusOH

  Investigations like this are slow and difficult in the best of circumstances. But when the events occurred so long ago and victims have to consider going through the trauma of recalling them (often multiple times over the course of months or years), it has to be handled very carefully. There is frequently a lack of evidence and the only eyewitness will be the victim.

  We can read about a case from the 1980s that could not be pursued because the statute of limitations has expired. But the jury will not be allowed to hear anything like this. And there are many other details and information that will not be allowed at trial. Sometimes a case can seem very strong when presented to the public (and to a grand jury) but once you are in court things are very different. Prosecutors are understandably hesitant to move quickly on cases like this, because it feels terrible to put victims through the trauma of a trial just to watch a defendant celebrate a victory.
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  Balaamsass2

  When I googled this, another local case of a Pedo elder was added the next day! Kudos to this State's Attorney General for wrapping these cases together.