NEW YORK JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused in NY Youth Detention Facilities

Juvenile detention centers across New York have faced years of scrutiny over failures to protect youth inmates from misconduct and sexual abuse committed by staff. Several facilities, including the Horizon Secure Detention Facility in New York City, have also been subject to sweeping investigations and lawsuits involving dangerous cultures of abuse, cover-ups, and inexcusable oversight issues.

Levy Konigsberg has been at the forefront of representing survivors in lawsuits against the City of New York for the sexual abuse these survivors suffered while confined at juvenile detention facilities at the hands of City employees.  Levy Konigsberg has already filed over 500 cases on behalf of survivors of child sexual abuse at juvenile detention facilities throughout New York City.

Levy Konigsberg is continuing to fight for the brave survivors of abuse at New York City juvenile detention centers.

On November 25, 2025, the New York City Council passed Introduction 1297, an amendment to the Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA).  Introduction 1297 reopens the GMVA lookback window for 18 months and explicitly reaffirms that the law applies not only to individuals, but also to institutions such as juvenile detention centers. This allows survivors with previously time-barred claims to bring their cases during the 18-month window and to seek justice against the institutions that enabled their abuse.

If you or someone you love were sexually abused as a youth inmate in any juvenile detention or youth residential facility in New York City or the state of New York, Levy Konigsberg has the experience and resources to help.

History of Child Sexual Abuse in New York Youth Detention Centers

In 2024 and 2025, Levy Konigsberg filed over 535 sexual abuse lawsuits on behalf of survivors who were sexually abused at Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn, Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx, Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx and Rikers Island. The lawsuits were filed against the City of New York for the sexual abuse these survivors suffered while confined at juvenile detention facilities at the hands of City employees. Some of these individuals were sexually abused at multiple juvenile detention facilities in New York City. The lawsuits allege that despite widespread reports, investigations, and campaigns to close or reform these juvenile detention facilities, the City of New York has allowed a culture of sexual abuse and brutality to continue unabated. The abuse endured by these plaintiffs stretches across decades. The lawsuits include allegations of heinous assault, groping, forced oral sex and rape perpetrated by staff members against juveniles at these facilities.

In addition, New York’s problematic history of staff-on-inmate sexual abuse within juvenile detention facilities has been documented through years of legal filings, criminal arrests, public settlements, and sweeping investigations.

These records detail a systemic abuse problem that permeates throughout secure, specialized secure, and non-secure detention centers statewide, including the Horizon Juvenile Detention Center, Crossroads Juvenile Center, and Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in New York City, which have been mired in years of scrutiny over alarming patterns of abuse and misconduct committed by staff.

The records also show that operators of these facilities, including the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), the NYS Office of Children and Family Services’ Bureau of Detention Services, and various county court systems and private contractors, overwhelmingly failed to protect youth inmates by enabling cultures of misconduct that allowed staff-on-inmate abuse to persist for years.

Examples of alleged abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

Horizon Juvenile Detention Center

• Of the more than 500 lawsuits Levy Konigsberg filed on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse at New York City juvenile detention centers, just under half involve abuse that occurred at Crossroads and Horizon Juvenile Detention Centers.

• Survivors allege repeated sexual attacks, including staff members entering survivors’ rooms at Horizon about three times a week, kissing and fondling them, and forcing them to engage in oral sex.

• In 2023, the Horizon Juvenile Detention Center was the subject of a sweeping Gothamist report that chronicled alarming misconduct among facility staff. According to the report, a secret network of Youth Development Specialists, managers, kitchen staff and other facility employees regularly furnished youth inmates with cash, weapons, drugs, and other contraband, sometimes in exchange for sexual acts.

• In 2018, federal prosecutors launched an investigation into staff-on-inmate sexual abuse at Horizon. The inquiry was prompted by a 2015 report that found ACS workers at Horizon failed to report known abusers and routinely faced allegations of grooming inmates by providing contraband or special treatment in exchange for sexual favors or by initiating disciplinary action when inmates resisted their sexual advances.

• In addition to high-profile investigations, years of arrests, lawsuits, and settlements have provided further insight into Horizon’s staff-on-inmate sexual abuse problem. This includes the April 2023 arrest of former ACS staffer Natasha Robinson, who was caught on surveillance footage engaging in sexual conduct with a youth inmate, a 2019 federal lawsuit that accused former counselor Nathalie Medford of repeated sexual abuse, and a settlement paid by New York City over claims that youth inmates were turned into “sex slaves” by Horizon staff and that ACS employees turned a blind eye to abuse.

Crossroads Juvenile Center

• Of the more than 500 lawsuits Levy Konigsberg filed on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse at New York City juvenile detention centers, just under half involve abuse that occurred at Crossroads and Horizon Juvenile Detention Centers.

• According to the lawsuits, staff members at Crossroads threatened the children that if they reported the sexual abuse, they would face more time in detention.

• In 2015, an Administrative Law Judge recommended the termination of Victor Silva, a former counselor at the Crossroads Juvenile Center after finding that he physically beat a youth inmate and placed him in an impermissible chokehold. Silva was also found to have made a false, misleading, and deceptive incident report.  In addition to claims of physical abuse, former youth inmates and advocates have raised allegations of sexual abuse by staff at Crossroads for years. As in the case of Silva, reports have also claimed that staff maintained a culture of secrecy and cover ups to conceal abuse and protect themselves and fellow employees.

Spofford Juvenile Detention Center

• Of the more than 500 lawsuits Levy Konigsberg filed on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse at New York City juvenile detention centers, a majority of filed cases involve sexual abuse perpetrated at Spofford.

• Allegations at Spofford also include allegations that employees raped one juvenile five times per week, leaving her to “scream in pain until she passed out,” according to the lawsuit, and that guards would force the female minors to line up and perform oral sex on them.

• In March 2011, the City of New York closed the Spofford Juvenile Center. Spofford, which had been in operation in the Bronx for over 50 years and was renamed the Bridges Juvenile Center in 1999, had been subject to numerous abuse and misconduct allegations, beginning with a string of abuse scandals in the 1960s that compelled the city to assume control of the facility from a local non-profit operator and decades of allegations leading up to its closure.

• Spofford’s documented record of sexual abuse and misconduct dates back decades, and includes the 1978 arrest of former Guard Walter Long for the rape of a 14-year-old inmate, the 1996 termination of a counselor who allegedly shackled and molested a 15-year-old inmate, 48 child abuse claims against facility employees in 1997 alone that included the conviction of a counselor who nearly beat an inmate to death, and countless other reports of sexual brutality, physical violence, mass escapes, and at least one staff-run drug cartel and prostitution ring. In 1978, then-mayor Ed Koch called Spofford a “case study in failure.”

Brentwood Residential Center for Girls

• In December 2023, Ovzie Cannon pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, criminal sexual act, and endangering the welfare of a child while working at the Brentwood Residential Center for Girls, which is operated by the NY State Office of Children and Family Services. Cannon, who worked at the Dix Hills, Long Island facility as a youth support specialist, raped a 15-year-old inmate on multiple occasions after providing her with marijuana edibles in January and February 2023.

Children’s Village

• In 2020, nearly a dozen lawsuits were filed by former youth who claimed that they were sexually abused by staff while housed the Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry. The lawsuits detail similar claims of sexual abuse committed by staff during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and accuses the Children’s Village, a nonprofit organization, of negligently failing to supervise staff and employing officials who used their authority to discourage or prevent survivors from disclosing allegations of abuse.

Harriet Tubman Residential Center 

• In December 2023, it was reported that Ali VanGiesen, a former staff member at the facility, was allegedly involved in instigating a fight between two female residents.

Taberg Residential Center for Girls

• In 2020, former residents of the Taberg Residential Center for Girls filed a lawsuit, alleging they were physically and sexually abused by multiple staff members in the facility.  The lawsuit alleges that Michael Montana, a former employee, physically and sexually abused the victims, including raping them whenever he had the opportunity. The lawsuit further alleges that Jamie Murphy and Ryan Smith, former employees, sexually abused the victims as well and physically assaulted them when they refused to comply, and that Joseph Aiello and Scott Diego, also former employees, assaulted the victims including punching and kicking them and spitting on them.

Brookwood Secure Center

• In April 2024, Maya Hayes, a former psychologist at Brookwood Secure Center, was charged with 65 counts of criminal sexual acts, including rape, involving eight victims between 2020 and 2022. According to a lawsuit filed in March of 2025, Hayes raped one teenager during every one-on-one counseling session he had with her. Further, the plaintiff alleges that other staff members were aware of the abuse and joked about it and that Hayes forced inmates to fight one another and told him she enjoyed watching the brawls.

Highland Residential Center

• In January 2024, a lawsuit was filed alleging that in 1965, a 10-year-old boy was sexually abused by a priest who assaulted him every other week for five months at the facility.

• In June 2017, Nicole Potts-Miller, a former teacher’s assistant at the facility, was accused of allegedly having sexual contact with two male youths. Potts-Miller was charged with third-degree rape, a class E felony, and second-degree sexual abuse, a class A misdemeanor.

• In November 2011, a lawsuit was filed alleging abuse by former staff members. The allegations involve multiple instances of staff physically abusing and restraining youth residents, including slamming them to the ground, twisting their limbs, and holding them in dangerous positions.  The alleged abuse reportedly caused serious injuries like broken bones, bruises, and head trauma.  Victims alleged they were also denied proper medical care.

• In November 2010, a 16-year old resident committed suicide within the facility.

Industry Residential Center

• In January 2025, Jerica Costich, a former Youth Support Specialist at Industry Residential Center, was arrested for rape after allegedly sexually abusing an 18-year-old detainee at the facility.

• In November 2011, a lawsuit was filed alleging abuse by staff members at multiple youth detention facilities, including Industry Residential Center. A former youth resident of Industry Residential Center alleged that he was assaulted by a staff member who grabbed him by the neck, slammed him to the ground, and restrained him while others handcuffed him.  The lawsuit further alleged that another staff member lifted the youth by his arms, threw him to the floor, and caused a microwave oven to fall on his back.

Ella McQueen Reception Center

• In September 2016, Barry Proctor, a former youth division aide at the facility, was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

• In November 2011, a lawsuit was filed alleging abuse by former staff members.

A former youth resident alleged that he was assaulted by a staff member, who punched him in the face and stomach before slamming him face-first to the floor in a restroom. 

Capital District Juvenile Secure Detention Center

• In June 2021, Michesha Cancer, a former employee of Berkshire Farm Center for Youth, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the facility, was arrested for raping a resident of the Capital District Youth Center when she worked in the facility.

• In October 2022, a teenager died at the facility after he said he was not feeling well in the days leading up to his death, but was reportedly very healthy when he entered the facility.

• According to a November 2022 report, the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs had documented 11 cases of maltreatment at the facility in the prior year.  These cases include physical and sexual abuse by staff, as well as the use of deliberate inappropriate restraint.  According to the same report, since 2016, the Office of Children and Family Services had received 86 reports of “significant incidents” at the facility. Those incidents can include inappropriate restraints, abuse, or youth being treated in a way that could harm their health or well-being.

• Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth, the nonprofit running the facility, has faced over 100 substantiated cases of abuse and neglect across its various juvenile detention centers, group homes, and other facilities in New York over the past six years. Several staff members have been arrested and charged with crimes involving sexual misconduct.

Monroe County Children’s Detention Center

• In December 2022, former employee Gregory Bodine spoke out about abuse at the facility after he himself was fired from employment and charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly choking a child at the facility. Bodine revealed staff members allowed children to fight each other in what he referred to as “fight club” within the facility and described staff members beating children up while other staff members acted as lookouts.

• In December 2022, former employee John Kanu was charged with endangering a child’s welfare after allegedly allowing two youths to engage in slap boxing.  According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Kanu was also seen on camera striking a juvenile in the face.

• In June 2020, Alonzo Fagan, a former employee of the facility, was accused of raping a minor female at the facility in 1980 when she was 15.  Fagan allegedly forced her into prostitution during a weekend furlough, assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she reported the abuse. At first, when the survivor reported the abuse to police, police did not believe her and did not charge Fagan with a sex crime. Eventually, Fagan was convicted in 1981 of assault, endangering the welfare of a child and promoting prostitution.

• In February 2020, Alcindor Coleman, a former guard at the facility, was accused of allegedly repeatedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl who lived at the facility in 1992.  Coleman was charged with rape, sodomy and sexual abuse.

Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center

• In August 2024, it was reported that Amir Andrews, a former detention home aide, was hired at the facility despite being on parole for attempted murder without a criminal background check. Andrews was later accused of forcibly attempting to have sex with a boy inside a Manlius home, restraining the boy with handcuffs and giving drugs to other kids in the house. 

• In April 2024, Pierre Reese, a former detention home aide at the Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center, was accused of raping a woman in a hotel room in Clay. While the woman’s boyfriend stepped out of the room, Reese allegedly entered and raped the woman.  In June 2023, Reese was also arrested for alleged kidnapping, robbery, and illegal possession of a weapon. Within Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center, Reese worked closely with children, including performing security checks, transporting juveniles, supervising groups, and orienting youth to the facility’s rules.

• In October 2023, Jobie Patterson, a former employee at Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center, was charged with child pornography after soliciting and receiving explicit photos and videos from a teenager at the facility.

MercyFirst

• In December 2019, a former resident of MercyFirst’s Syosset location filed suit alleging he was sexually abused at the facility in 2003 when he was 12 years old.  According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was sexually abused by at least one MercyFirst employee as well as several other residents.  Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that MercyFirst knew or should have known about the abuse, and that rather than address it, those in power actively tried to discourage and prevent victims from disclosing allegations of abuse.

• In 2019, a former MercyFirst youth counselor, Miguel Cutignola, pled guilty to sexually abusing an undocumented 15-year-old that was in his care at MercyFirst in 2017.

• In February 2016, the mother of a 16-year-old girl filed suit alleging that her daughter was placed in MercyFirst’s care and custody and disappeared, and she had not seen her daughter since.

House of the Good Shepherd

• In February 2025, Jaden Chamberlain, a House of the Good Shepherd staff member, was arrested and charged with two counts of Rape in the Third Degree for alleged unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in his care.

• In 2007, it was reported that since 2003, four adults affiliated with Good Shepherd facilities have had sex with youths they met at the facilities.

Goshen Secure Center

• In May 2020, an investigation found that an inmate forced another inmate to perform sexual acts on him at the youth facility.

Investigating Sexual Abuse at New York Juvenile Detention Centers

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating abuse allegations at New York juvenile detention centers, including:

• Rikers Island
• Horizon Juvenile Detention Center
• Crossroads Juvenile Center
• Brentwood Residential Center for Girls
• Children's Village
• Harriet Tubman Residential Center 
• Taberg Residential Center for Girls
• Brookwood Secure Center
• Highland Residential Center
• Industry Residential Center
• Ella McQueen Reception Center
• Capital District Juvenile Secure Detention Center
• Monroe County Children’s Detention Center
• Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center
• Spofford Juvenile Detention Center
• MercyFirst
• House of the Good Shepherd
• Goshen Secure Center
• Berkshire Farm Center & Youth Services

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a guard, counselor, nurse, or other youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center staff member.
• The abuse occurred at any youth residential treatment or juvenile detention facility.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold youth residential treatment facilities,  juvenile detention centers, private healthcare companies, and other facility operators accountable for their failures to stop abusive staff members and protect young residents.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

New York Juvenile Detention Center Attorneys

A statute of limitations sets deadlines for victims to bring claims against their abuser or entities responsible for the abuse. New York has pioneered efforts to make it easier for sexual abuse survivors to seek justice and compensation.

In 2019, New York passed the Child Victims Act, expanding the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Under current law: (1) survivors of childhood sexual abuse at privately operated juvenile detention centers who were born after February 14, 1998, have until age 55 to file civil lawsuits; and (2) survivors of childhood sexual abuse at juvenile detention centers operated by governmental entities, who were born after November 15, 1999, have until age 55 to file civil lawsuits.

In addition, on January 29, 2026, the New York City Council enacted Introduction 1297, an amendment to the Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA). Introduction 1297 reopens the GMVA lookback window for 18 months. As a result, survivors with previously time-barred claims for sexual abuse that occurred in New York City and prior to January 9, 2022 can file lawsuits between January 29, 2026 and July 29, 2027. Survivors of sexual abuse that occurred in New York City and on or after January 9, 2022 have seven years to bring their claims.

Thus, there may be new avenues to seek justice for previously time-barred claims of abuse at New York juvenile detention centers. If you were sexually abused at a New York juvenile detention center at any time, reach out today.