Accused defended the BSA's anti-gay ideology
Dallas, TX -
The Boy Scouts of America, which has refused to allow gays, atheists or agnostics into the organization because of moral objections, finds itself in the news as one of its long-time leaders has been charged with receiving and distributing child pornography.
Investigators allege that 61-year-old Douglas Sovereign Smith Jr. traded several computer images of minors having sex, according to an indictment from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas. The charges against him were filed by federal prosecutors March 21.
Published media reports indicate Smith worked for the Boy Scouts for 39 years and was placed on administrative leave in late February when the Boy Scouts learned of an FBI investigation. Smith retired soon after.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the Boy Scouts, Smith "was not in a leadership position which involved working directly with youth." Smith was chairman of the Scout's Youth Protection League, a training program designed to alert scout leaders and parents to the dangers of predators on the Internet.
PlanetOut.com reports Smith defended the BSA's anti-gay ideology last September in a letter to the editor of the Corporate Legal Times. "Some intolerant elements in our society want to force scouting to abandon its values and to become fundamentally different," he wrote.
An arraignment is set for Wednesday morning, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney Office said it expects Smith to plead guilty. If convicted, the former Boy Scouts of America executive could be sentenced five to 20 years in prison.
Investigators allege that 61-year-old Douglas Sovereign Smith Jr. traded several computer images of minors having sex, according to an indictment from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas. The charges against him were filed by federal prosecutors March 21.
Published media reports indicate Smith worked for the Boy Scouts for 39 years and was placed on administrative leave in late February when the Boy Scouts learned of an FBI investigation. Smith retired soon after.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the Boy Scouts, Smith "was not in a leadership position which involved working directly with youth." Smith was chairman of the Scout's Youth Protection League, a training program designed to alert scout leaders and parents to the dangers of predators on the Internet.
PlanetOut.com reports Smith defended the BSA's anti-gay ideology last September in a letter to the editor of the Corporate Legal Times. "Some intolerant elements in our society want to force scouting to abandon its values and to become fundamentally different," he wrote.
An arraignment is set for Wednesday morning, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney Office said it expects Smith to plead guilty. If convicted, the former Boy Scouts of America executive could be sentenced five to 20 years in prison.
