Meet the Woman Who Exposed Jerry Sandusky

Meet the Woman Who Exposed Jerry Sandusky

She’s Sara Ganim and she’s just 24. In a Glamour exclusive, she tells how she broke the story of Penn State’s sex-abuse scandal and changed college sports forever.  by Liz Brody

“Anything else going on?” Sara Ganim asked her source late one night in 2009. As the crime reporter for a small newspaper in State College, Pennsylvania, it was a question she always ended with. And this evening, to Ganim’s surprise, the source replied, “Well, actually, a boy just came forward to the police and alleged sex crimes against Jerry Sandusky.”….

Ganim, a Penn State grad and a football fan herself, knew her way around the university’s online message boards. There she quickly found gossip about Sandusky getting too friendly with young boys. So she started asking around. “I’d say, ‘Hey, have you heard anything strange about Jerry Sandusky?’” And though people knew about the rumors, Ganim says, “almost no one believed they were true.”

For the next two years, Ganim tried to get real facts—”I just started knocking on doors,” she says—and pursued the story aggressively after joining the staff of Harrisburg’s The Patriot-News in January 2011…..

“Some people closed their doors in my face, and others definitely did not tell me the truth,” she says. “But many were relieved—they were done keeping the story bottled up inside.” What she uncovered was staggering: She identified two alleged victims and learned that Sandusky was under investigation by a grand jury for sexual abuse. (In Pennsylvania such proceedings are held in secret.) Ganim kept digging and, by this time last year, had enough evidence to write the first story exposing the grand jury hearing, as well as accusations that the former coach had molested at least one boy in the university’s locker room.

Some readers savaged the paper for printing “gossip.” But other media and sports reporters ignored the news, even as Ganim continued to report the story. “It felt like we were living in the Twilight Zone,” says The Patriot-News’ editor, David Newhouse. Adds Ganim, “Particularly with the local papers, I thought [that] was pretty irresponsible.” It took a full seven months—after Sandusky was arrested and publicly charged with the sexual abuse of eight boys he met through his charity, The Second Mile—for national news media to pounce. The horrifying charges included repeated oral sex and sodomy; one victim testified that he screamed in vain from the Sandusky family basement, knowing the coach’s wife was upstairs….

On November 8, based on Ganim’s reporting, The Patriot-News published a front-page editorial calling for the resignations of Penn State’s president, Graham Spanier, and its head coach of 45-plus years, Joe Paterno. The day after the editorial, the university forced out both men, and the campus erupted in student riots. It was only then that Ganim realized just how huge her story had become….

In one blistering article, she detailed how an incident witnessed by then grad student Mike McQueary had been watered down with every retelling—from “anal rape,” as McQueary described it to Paterno, to “something of a sexual nature,” as the coach retold it to the school vice president, to what Spanier eventually characterized as “conduct that made someone uncomfortable”—without ever being reported to police. (It later came out that Spanier and the board of trustees had known about the Sandusky investigation for months and done next to nothing.) Ganim’s discerning coverage made sure Penn State and other schools started taking abuse allegations seriously; soon after, similar cases drew attention at Syracuse University and The Citadel.
http://www.glamour.com/inspired/magazine/2012/02/meet-the-woman-who-exposed-jerry-sandusky

Teen says Sandusky chased him in car as he ran away: ABC , Sandusky Victim 1 Steps Out of Shadows, Says Justice Took Too Long

Teen says Sandusky chased him in car as he ran away: ABC

Reuters October 19 2012

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The 18-year-old who triggered the prosecution of Jerry Sandusky for sexually abusing him and nine other boys told ABC News the former Penn State coach once chased him down with his car as he tried to flee.

Aaron Fisher, known throughout the case as Victim 1, has revealed his identity since testifying against Sandusky at his June trial. Sandusky, 68, was convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Fisher was just 11 when he met Sandusky through the former coach’s charity for at-risk children, The Second Mile, in 2005 or 2006. After a year of box seats at Penn State football games and weekend trips with the coach, he was sexually abused in Sandusky’s basement, leaving him confused and ashamed.

The attacks continued for years, with Sandusky misusing his position as a volunteer coach to pull the boy out of class. Fisher’s attempts to flee were met with a tightened leash.

“He once followed my bus home from school,” Fisher told ABC in the “20/20″ interview to be broadcast in full on Friday night. “I took off running but he drove on the opposite side of the street, onto oncoming traffic to catch up with me. I ran up an alley and he went to my house and parked out front.”….

When he was 15, Fisher broke down and told his mother, Dawn Daniels, and the school’s principal, Karen Probst, that Sandusky was sexually abusing him. “Aaron was melting down in the office,” Daniels told ABC. “I immediately told them we need to call the police.”  But the school principal advised her to go home and think over their next steps.

“They said that Jerry has a heart of gold and that he wouldn’t do those type of things,” Daniels said.
Instead, Daniels told the principal she would be calling Clinton County Children and Youth Services. School officials, legally mandated to make such reports, called too.  Probst did not return calls from Reuters for comment.
It took three years, two grand juries and a lengthy search for more victims before Sandusky was arrested in November 2011, just before Fisher’s 18th birthday….

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-pennstate-victimbre89i0wo-20121019,0,695676.story

Sandusky Victim 1 Steps Out of Shadows, Says Justice Took Too Long

By JOSEPH RHEE, GERRY WAGSCHAL, and LINH TRAN
Oct. 19, 2012

He was known only as Victim 1 in one of the most infamous child sexual abuse cases in history. But this week, Aaron Fisher revealed his identity to the world and, in an exclusive interview with “20/20′s” Chris Cuomo, told the story of those he said stood in his way as he struggled to bring now-convicted child predator Jerry Sandusky to justice: officials at his own high school….

Young Aaron came from a struggling family and didn’t have a father at home. Dawn Daniels, Fisher’s mother, recalled the times Sandusky took the boy away for the weekend to give her a break.

“Everybody knew who he was,” said Daniels, “He’s a great guy. Everybody, even my own father, said he does great things for kids.”

Sandusky’s reputation had preceded him and put Daniels at ease as far as allowing her son to spend so much time with Sandusky. But according to Fisher, Sandusky slowly turned from a “father figure” into something much darker.

“He’d put his hand on my leg while we were driving,” Fisher said, “My family never did that, so it was kind of weird.”

By the time Fisher was 12, Sandusky was sexually assaulting him. Fisher said fear, shame and confusion prevented him from seeking help and telling anyone about his tormentor….

http://abcnews.go.com/US/sandusky-victim-reveals-identity-justice-long/story?id=17511612#

Sandusky victim speaks out
October 19, 2012
Penn State victim Aaron Fisher says officials at his high school stood in the way of justice.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-viral-video-sandusky-victim-speaks-out-html,0,7063241.htmlstory

Child pornography probe leads to 21 arrests
CBC – The RCMP say a cross-country child pornography investigation has resulted in the arrest of 21 people in the Prairies, Nunavut and the N.W.T.

So far, charges have been laid against 16 of those arrested, police told reporters on Wednesday at a press conference in Regina

The charges include sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, and distributing and possessing child pornography. Police said more charges are pending.

Det. Sgt. Darren Parisien, who led the operation for the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, said hundreds of thousands of images have been found on more than 100 computers and 1,000 discs.

Parisien said most of the children in the images were under the age of 12, including a number of infants and toddlers.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/child-pornography-probe-leads-30-arrests-174829449.html

Jerry Sandusky sentence: 30 to 60 years for child sex abuse charges

Jerry Sandusky sentence: 30 to 60 years for child sex abuse charges
10/9/12 Staff report Sporting News

Jerry Sandusky has been sentenced to 30-to-60 years in prison on 45 counts of child sexual abuse charges, a judge announced on Tuesday.

The former Penn State assistant, and at one time presumed successor to Joe Paterno, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. Three of Sandusky’s victims spoke in court Tuesday. While one victim said that he has “cried out to Jesus” for help in dealing with the scars Sandusky left on his life, another told Sandusky, “I will not forgive you.”

In a rambling address to court, Sandusky, 68, said: “We are going to smile through the pain. We’re going to laugh. We’re going to cry. Because that’s who we are.”

In June, Sandusky was convicted of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period—a total of 45 charges. Witnesses said Sandusky used The Second Mile, a charity he founded to help disadvantaged children, as a recruiting ground for his victims. He showered them with gifts, brought them around the Penn State football program and welcomed them in his home.

Eventually, the kindness turned dark. Witnesses said he fondled them, took showers with them and raped them. Sandusky denied the allegations as he has done repeatedly, including on Monday in a recording released by the campus radio station….

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-10-09/jerry-sandusky-sentence-30-60-years-sexual-abuse-trial-penn-state

A Dr. Phil Exclusive: Child Prostitute Links Sandusky to Pedophile Ring

A Dr. Phil Exclusive: Child Prostitute Links Sandusky to Pedophile Ring  September 28, 2012

As Jerry Sandusky awaits sentencing on 45 counts of sexual abuse against boys, new allegations have surfaced that he was involved in a tri-state child porn ring. Forty-eight-year-old Greg Bucceroni has come forward, saying that as a young boy in 1979, Ed Savitz — now deceased, then-advocate for at-risk children — arranged for him to have sex with Sandusky, whom he says everyone called “The Coach.” Though the encounter never happened, Greg speaks out in a Dr. Phil exclusive about the horrors he says he lived through as a child. Hear how he says he was manipulated into the dark and dangerous world of drugs and child prostitution.

And learn why, after 34 years, he says he’s finally telling his secret. Greg insists he tried getting the police involved at the time of the alleged abuse, to no avail. Why does he believe no one listened? Plus, 30-year-old Travis Weaver — the only alleged victim of Sandusky to reveal his identity — speaks out about the sexual abuse he says he suffered at the hands of his “hero.” This show contains strong sexual content. Viewer discretion is advised….

Greg says he believes the child prostitution ring is still operating today. “Every time they went after Savitz, they only focused on Savitz, even though they had information about others,” he says. “They never went after the network. This is the first time they’re going after the network, at a federal level.”

Travis says he feels Penn State should’ve done more to protect him. He’s currently suing the university along with Sandusky and The Second Mile. Travis’ attorney, Marci Hamilton, explains the basis of the lawsuit: “Penn State must have known that Jerry Sandusky was engaging in sex abuse,” she says. “It was negligent and reckless to let Sandusky near these kids.”

http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1880/

Charity’s Insurer Need Not Cover, But May Have to Pay to Defend, Sandusky, Month-long ICE crackdown nets 190 child p_rn suspects; 18 victims rescued

Charity’s Insurer Need Not Cover, But May Have to Pay to Defend, Sandusky
By Saranac Hale Spencer
The Legal Intelligencer  June 6, 2012

With jury selection under way this week in the criminal child sex-abuse trial of Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach suffered a setback in federal court when a judge ruled that the insurance company from which he was seeking coverage is not responsible for indemnifying him for damages that may arise from the allegations.

U.S. District Chief Judge Yvette Kane of the Middle District of Pennsylvania also discussed whether or not Federal Insurance Co. would be obligated to pay for Sandusky’s defense, but deferred answering the question until discovery provides a factual record.

On Dec. 16, Sandusky informed the company that insures the nonprofit organization that he started 35 years ago to help “at-risk” youth that he would be seeking coverage from its policy. The organization, The Second Mile, announced last month that it planned to transfer its assets and programs to a similar nonprofit, called Arrow, because after the allegations against Sandusky, “there would not be adequate support, including financial, from donors, volunteers and referring social service agencies to continue The Second Mile as its own entity.” http://www.law.com/jsp/pa/PubArticlePA.jsp?id=1202557357820&Charitys_Insurer_Need_Not_Cover_But_May_Have_to_Pay_to_Defend_Sandusky

Month-long ICE crackdown nets 190 child porn suspects; 18 victims rescued  6/8/12
By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

Federal agents targeting child pornography offenses say they arrested 190 people in May and rescued 18 children who were being victimized by the accused perpetrators, in a stepped-up focus on these crimes. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, which investigates a wide range of crimes that cross state or national borders, is one of the main federal agencies — along with the FBI — to handle child porn and exploitation investigations….

The 190 arrests in May represented a  “significant number” for one month, Bennett said. ICE arrested 1,455 suspected child predators in the 2011 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, 2011, she said, up from 922 a year earlier.

Typically, she said, ICE is responsible for more than half of the federal cases involving child sexual exploitation.

In 2011, Bennett said, agency investigations resulted in 915 convictions on child porn-related charges with sentences ranging from a few years to life in prison, depending on the severity of the offense and the age of the victim — who are sometimes as young as infants. http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/08/12125265-month-long-ice-crackdown-nets-190-child-porn-suspects-18-victims-rescued

Penn State: Former Sandusky charity board members: We needed to know

Former Sandusky charity board members: We needed to know

Tribune News Services
December 19, 2011

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Former board members of Jerry Sandusky’s charity say its CEO never told them about a 2002 shower incident that is the focus of child sexual abuse charges against the retired Penn State assistant coach. If they knew Sandusky had been banned from bringing kids on campus, they say they could have taken steps to better protect children a decade ago.

“Not one thing was said to us,” said Bradley P. Lunsford, a Centre County judge who served on the Second Mile board between 2001 and 2005. “Not a damn thing.”….

One of Raykovitz’s vice presidents said Raykovitz also shared little information with his managers about a 2008 sexual abuse complaint that led to the current criminal charges against Sandusky.

And the head of Clinton County’s child welfare agency, where the 2008 investigation began, said he told Raykovitz’s wife in November 2008 that Sandusky had been spoken to about getting “too close” to children involved with the charity. Gerald Rosamilia said Raykovitz’s wife, Katherine Genovese, who helped run The Second Mile, did not define what was meant by “too close” or give a timeframe.

Raykovitz defended himself in a telephone interview, saying he acted appropriately at all times. “There have always been steps in place to protect kids,” he said.

The grand jury that charged Sandusky with 52 sexual abuse-related counts involving 10 boys said the former coach “found his victims” through The Second Mile and committed many of his offenses inside Penn State football buildings….

The Second Mile has been named in two civil complaints, including one that seeks to preserve the charity’s assets.

David Marshall, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who represents other accusers, said: “It may have been only Sandusky who laid his hands on these children, but it is clear that a number of other individuals and agencies placed the children in harm’s way by knowingly taking actions that allowed the abuse to continue even after they became fully aware of it.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-former-second-mile-board-members-we-needed-to-know-20111219,0,2593142.story