URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - The Boy Scouts of America have issued a statement regarding child pornography charges against a former Illinois scouting leader.
Milton Forsberg, 79, pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. Authorities had arrested him on Oct. 16, just weeks after authorities said a search of his Champaign home led to the discovery of evidence.
In a sworn affidavit, police said they found over 100 pictures of child pornography, including printed pictures of boys in "sexually explicit positions". Forsberg tried to hide some of those pictures with a cane during that search, according to officers.
Police said some of Forsberg's pornography was stored on computers. According to prosecutors, he had over 30 tabs open to a Russian website, which officers said is known for the sharing of child pornography.
In a basement darkroom, authorities said he pictures from a nudist colony.
Forsberg used to be involved in Prairielands Council scouting and had been part of Boy Scout programs for over 40 years. A statement from Jared White, the council's scout executive, said the following:
“First and foremost, we care deeply about all victims of child abuse and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children. We believe victims, we support them, we pay for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice, and we encourage them to come forward. It is BSA policy that all incidents of suspected abuse are reported to law enforcement.
Upon learning of these claims, we took immediate action to involve law enforcement, and while this individual is no longer in Scouting, we barred him from any future participation in our programs.
Nothing is more important than the safety of our youth members. We seek to prevent abuse through comprehensive policies and procedures that serve as barriers to abuse. These include a thorough screening process, including criminal background checks for staff and other adult leaders, requiring two or more adult leaders be present with youth at all times during Scouting activities, and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse. The policies that the BSA has in place today are informed and endorsed by child safety experts.”
Forsberg is accused of sexually abusing a victim in 1965 in Champaign. Investigators received information from the Boy Scouts of America National Council about that alleged abuse in September 2019.
If found guilty in court, Forsberg could face up to 20 years in prison for receipt of child pornography and as much as 10 years for possession. Each charge involves a fine of as high as $250,000.
Pretrial in the Forsberg case is set for Dec. 11, with the trial starting in January.
