was a Mormon church member and cub scout leader in Norfolk, Virginia; convicted on 14 counts of aggravated sexual battery; sentenced in 1988 to 26 years in prison for molesting eight boys; had as many as 41 alleged victims

Case report

In 1979 in Norfolk, Virginia, LDS church member Eric Patrick “Ricky” Avant “was a church cub scout leader. He sodomized eight boys. He had
a prior conviction for sodomy, but the church never checked him out and never registered him with Boy Scouts of America which would have run a background check .The LDS Church settled in May 1992 for an undisclosed amount.”

“According to the suit, Avant was convicted in 1979 of similar offenses, something the Boy Scouts could have easily discovered. The suit alleges that the Scouts and the church were negligent in not checking on Avant’s background.”

“The families who initiated prosecution said they had cooperated with police in compiling a list of 41 victims from the Webelos den and church.”

Case facts

Case information sources

  1. Eric Patrick Avant - Boy Scout Perversion Files
    view source details | 28 Sep 2023 | Los Angeles Times

Case information source details

Browse the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database

FLOODLIT.org has a free public database of hundreds of reports about people who committed or allegedly committed sex crimes, including sexual abuse, while they were active Mormon church members. You can browse the entire database in all sorts of ways, including by LDS church position, number of victims, places where crimes took place, or criminal/civil case result.

View the Mormon Sexual Abuse Map

International map of locations where active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated sexual abuse or other sex crimes, or where LDS leaders failed or allegedly failed to help abuse survivors.

 

Add information

Search the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database