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The lawsuits against Robert Caldera stem from his time as a CYO basketball coach at St. Joseph’s Church in Astoria in the 1990s.
By Michael V. Cusenza
For the first time, the names of nearly 180 New York alleged child molesters affiliated with Catholic institutions were recently released publicly. Each person on the list was recently named in civil suits brought by survivors of child sexual abuse.
The suits were filed by Jeff Anderson & Associates, a law firm that represents victims of childhood sexual abuse under the New York Child Victims Act.
Among the newly named are Catholic priests, church officials, church employees, coaches, teachers and other people who have worked with kids. Some accusations go back decades. Others were raised in the 2000’s.
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“The Diocese of Brooklyn has fully complied with law enforcement authorities and will continue to do so in this matter,” the diocese, led by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, said in a statement.
The Anderson firm highlighted one particular name—Robert Caldera—in its release of the new list. According to the firm, Caldera, until recently, was the director of sports programs for the Catholic Youth Organization of Brooklyn and Queens, despite being accused of child sexual abuse in two New York Child Victims Act lawsuits.
According to the firm, Caldera was appointed the position of director of the sports programs for the CYO in 2013. His recent departure from the position, along with the two New York CVA lawsuits, was seemingly unknown and unannounced to the public. One lawsuit alleges Caldera sexually abused a minor approximately twenty-four times over approximately four years, from 1993 to 1998. While the second lawsuit alleges Caldera sexually abused a minor approximately three times over approximately three years, from 1995 to 1998.
“The public has a right to know that an alleged perpetrator may have had access to their children for years.” Jeff Anderson said. “The blatant lack of communication confirms that the diocese prioritizes self-preservation over child protection.”
According to diocesan newspaper The Tablet, the lawsuits stem from Caldera’s time as a CYO basketball coach at St. Joseph’s Church in Astoria in the 1990s.
The diocese released a statement to The Tablet, claiming, in part, “The protection of children is the most important priority for the Diocese of Brooklyn, and our policies ensure that we inform authorities when we receive allegations of inappropriate behavior. The Diocese of Brooklyn has fully complied with law enforcement authorities and will continue to do so in this matter. The diocese cannot provide any specific details and the status of the investigation into the allegations as they are part of an ongoing investigation that involves law enforcement.”
According to the paper, in addition to Caldera, the defendants named in the lawsuits are the Diocese of Brooklyn, St. Joseph Church, Catholic Charities Community Services, and the Archdiocese of New York.
The list of 177 names can be found here: andersonadvocates.com/new-york-sexual-abuse/new-york-child-victims-act-dashboard/.
