YDC Lawsuits: The most disturbing case of fraud ever seen in NH

This week, the Granite Eagle exposed the alarming trend of lawsuits, nationwide, targeting states and staff members who once worked at juvenile detention facilities. The claims are consistent. Countless years after being released, thousands of people across America are claiming they were sexually and physically abused while they were housed at juvenile detention facilities. Not surprisingly, the accusations lead to high value settlements being paid out to the alleged victims.

Let’s start with those who claim they were abused at the Youth Development Center (YDC) in New Hampshire.

David Meehan was one of the first former YDC residents to publicly come forward and make accusations. Meehan claimed he was raped and beaten hundreds of times during his tenure at YDC. He took his case to court and was victorious. Following the highly publicized trial, he was awarded $38 million. While there is an ongoing battle about the maximum payout allowed under NH law, Meehan stands to have a very large pay day, regardless of the outcome.

Since Meehan publicly came forward and filed a lawsuit against the State of NH, over 1,500 former YDC residents have followed suit. Yes, you read that correctly. 1,500 former YDC residents have suddenly woken up and miraculously recalled being abused during their time at YDC. The majority of those accusations claim the abuse happened over 20 years ago. As a result of the long list of accusers, the State of NH established a fund of $100 million in 2022 to settle the cases. Since the fund was established, claims have skyrocketed.

Another well known accuser, Michael Gilpatrick, claimed that he was gang raped in a stair well by four YDC staff members. He alleges two staff members held him down, while one staff member raped him and another forced him to perform a sexual act. Interestingly, there were no witnesses, aside from Gilpatrick. There wasn’t even one other resident in the facility who saw or heard the 4 men gang raping Gilpatrick in the open stairwell. All four staff members vehemently deny the allegations. 

As a result of Gilpatricks claims and testimony, somehow, 12 jurors believed his story and found one of the alleged abusers, Bradley Asbury, guilty on two counts of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault. At the age of 70 years old, Asbury was sentenced to 20-40 years in prison. The other staff members Gilpatrick accused, have trials pending.

Stephen Murphy, another staff member Gilpatrick accused of participating in the gang rape went to trial and it ended with a deadlocked jury. Fortunately for Murphy, there were some jurors who understood what guilty beyond a reasonable doubt actually means. The State of NH plans to retry Murphy.

Another former YDC staff member, Stanley Watson, was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to 30-60 years in prison. Watson’s story is certainly the most disturbing one of them all, unrelated to Meehan and Gilpatrick’s cases and unlike any of the other questionable accusations. Watson was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys in YDC and then filing to become a foster parent of one of the victims, while continuing to have sexual relations with him after he was 18 years old and released from YDC. 

What’s most interesting about the YDC allegations is the public’s response. Not one news outlet has questioned the legitimacy of these hard to fathom claims. Not one person has asked how it’s possible that all of a sudden, a barrage of former residents came forward 20+ years later to claim they were abused. Nobody has questioned the coincidence that once a settlement fund was established to pay lawsuits, over 1,000 new “victims” have come forward. 

The State of NH alleges that every YDC claim is thoroughly investigated. Since the YDC lawsuit debacle began, only two former YDC residents have been arrested for making false reports to law enforcement. 

Attorney General John M. Formella and State Police Colonel Nathan Noyes announced David A. Sweeney, age 44, of Dover, New Hampshire, was arrested June 24, 2021, on four class A misdemeanor charges of false report to law enforcement. They also announced that Travis Garand, age 24, of Epping, New Hampshire, was arrested on April 26, 2022, on one class A misdemeanor charge of false report to law enforcement. Both arrests were made by New Hampshire State Police as a result of the ongoing investigation into the Youth Development Center (YDC). No additional arrests involving YDC abuse claimants have been reported since Garand’s arrest in 2022.

Facts about the YDC abuse lawsuits

• During the most recent trials, there were no witnesses of the alleged incidents aside from the alleged victims. 

• There was no audio or video footage of any abuse that occurred, as surveillance equipment did not exist at YDC during that period of time.

• There was no forensic evidence available for any of the alleged incidents.

• Bradley Asbury was found guilty based solely on testimony from the alleged victim. There were no witnesses of the alleged attack or physical evidence available. It was one person’s word versus another's. Those words alone led to a 70 year old man spending the rest of his life in jail. Zero evidence, only words.

• No former YDC staff members testified or claimed ever witnessing a sexual assault.

Questions that must be thoroughly investigated

• Why did every single one of the alleged victims wait 20+ years to make a claim?

• How is it possible for a jury to find someone guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, when the only evidence is the victim’s testimony and one person’s word versus another? Is someone’s verbal allegation really considered “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt”?

• Why did thousands of alleged victims come forward after the $100 million fund was established and not before?

• How is it possible that there was not one single YDC staff member who blew the whistle and reported the alleged rampant physical and sexual abuse taking place at YDC?

• How is it possible that not one single news outlet asked any of these questions or diligently investigated the allegations?

• How is it possible for 11 former YDC staff members to be arrested and have their lives ruined based on nothing but a person’s word?

• Why hasn’t the credibility of the claimants been aggressively vetted?

I am not suggesting that abuse never occurred at YDC. However, if you analyze the facts and similarities of the claims, they are nearly impossible to fathom. The numbers don’t add up. The allegations are riddled with inconsistencies. The timing of “victims” coming forward is highly suspicious. It’s hard to believe that the large settlement payments being disbursed did not influence people to fabricate stories and capitalize on the opportunity.

Imagine if someone you worked with 20 years ago, all of a sudden came forward and accused you of rape. You get arrested. Your career is ruined. You are publicly humiliated and ostracized. You’re in financial ruin due to compounding legal fees. Your life is destroyed. That is the situation the former YDC staff members being accused are facing. They are in that situation all because of someone’s word. There is no physical evidence or witnesses, just an act that someone alleged happened over 20 years ago.

This scenario should terrify everyone, as it could happen to any of us. It’s a real life nightmare. 

I would like to make an assertion. There is a high probability that innocent people are sitting in jail and innocent people who dedicated their lives to helping children have had their lives ruined by degenerate, mentally ill, pathological lying, drug addicted, criminals.

The Granite Eagle will continue to relentlessly report on the YDC lawsuits and ask the tough questions no other news outlet is willing to ask. I have numerous upcoming interviews scheduled with former YDC staff members, as well as friends and family members of those being accused. 

I can tell you one thing for certain. 100% of the people who know anything about these accusations strongly believe the YDC lawsuits are the single, most disturbing case of fraud NH has ever witnessed.

Stay tuned.

Chris Thompson’s (christhompsnh@gmail.com) column is published weekly on www.graniteeaglepress.com and www.howiecarrshow.com