The motion to dismiss the suit against Southwest Key Programs was filed after the federal government announced it had moved all unaccompanied children to other shelters.

The complaint, filed last year during the Biden administration, alleged a litany of offenses between 2015 and 2023 as Southwest Key Programs, which operates migrant shelters in Texas, Arizona and California, amassed nearly $3 billion in contracts from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The agency said it stopped sending unaccompanied children to the provider’s facilities “out of continuing concerns relating to these placements,” and said it would review grants going to the contractor. In view of the agency’s action, the Department of Justice has dismissed its lawsuit against Southwest Key, HHS said in a statement.

The shelter provider said they were pleased with the decision to dismiss the case. “Southwest Key strongly denied the claims relating to child sexual abuse in our shelters, and there is no settlement or payment required,” the statement Wednesday evening said.

“We always believed the facts would prove the allegations to be without merit. We thank the Government for its commitment to reviewing the whole record and dropping the case with prejudice,” they added.

This week, Southwest Key Programs furloughed employees across the country. “Due to the unforeseen federal funding freeze and the stop placement order on our unaccompanied minor shelters and Home Study Post Release programs by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, we have made the difficult decision to furlough approximately 5,000 Southwest Key Programs’ employees,” the company said in a statement shared Tuesday.

According to allegations in the 2024 lawsuit, Southwest Key employees, including supervisors, raped, inappropriately touched or solicited sex and nude images of children beginning at least in 2015.

Among the accusations: One employee “repeatedly sexually abused” three girls ages 5, 8 and 11 at the Casa Franklin shelter in El Paso, Texas, with the 8-year-old telling investigators the worker “entered their bedrooms in the middle of the night to touch their ‘private area.’”

The lawsuit also alleged that another employee, at a shelter in Mesa, Arizona, took a 15-year-old boy to a hotel and paid him to perform sexual acts for several days in 2020.

Children were warned not to report the alleged abuse and threatened with violence against themselves or their families if they did, according to the lawsuit. Victims testified that in some instances, other workers knew about the abuse but failed to report or concealed it, the complaint said.

“DOJ’s lawsuit revealed horrific sexual abuse and inhumane treatment of children detained in Southwest Key shelters,” said Leecia Welch, an attorney who represents unaccompanied children in a separate case. “It’s shocking to me that the government now turns a blind eye to their own contractor’s actions. I hope the impacted children will have other legal recourse and support in healing from their abuse.”

The lawsuit may not be over. On Wednesday, the National Center for Youth Law asked the court not to dismiss the case and grant them an opportunity to formally intervene on behalf of those affected by the alleged abuse. If granted, they would have 30 days to file a motion in the lawsuit.

At least two employees have been indicted on criminal charges related to the allegations since 2020.

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According to the Riverside Police Department, a 12-year-old from Los Angeles reported the incident to the LAPD in late April, telling investigators Anthony Eduardo Lozano, 21, of Riverside, had sexually assaulted her. Authorities in L.A. forwarded the information to Riverside, where the department’s Sexual Assault – Child Abuse (SACA) unit began a full investigation.

Police allege Lozano arranged a rideshare to take the victim from Los Angeles to Rutland Park in Riverside, where he met the girl and sexually abused her.

In a news release Wednesday, police confirmed Lazno was taken into custody on Aug. 30 and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of eight felony sex crimes. Investigators said the investigation discovered evidence that suggested there may be more young victims who have yet to come forward.

Anyone with information relevant to the case can contact SACA detectives at 951-353-7950.

According to jail records, Lozano is being held without bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. The next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

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RIVERSIDE, CA — A pastor is accused of sexually abusing two young boys in Riverside over several years, and detectives believe there may be others who have yet to come forward, according to police.

Investigators identified the suspect Thursday as Juan Barrios, 51, of Riverside, who worked as a pastor at Iglesia de Dios Israelita in Fullerton.

Police said a young man contacted authorities in May to report a pattern of sexual abuse that began when he was 9 and lasted into his mid-teens. His younger brother came forward with similar claims, alleging the crimes took place between 2009 and 2015 while their family lived at Barrios’ Riverside home, according to police.

The allegations led to an investigation by Riverside’s Sexual Assault – Child Abuse (SACA) unit, and detectives arrested Barrios on Sept. 8. Investigators said he was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of multiple sex crimes and released on $500,000 bail.

Citing the nature of the allegations, detectives said they believed more victims could be involved and encouraged anyone with information related to Barrios to contact police at 951-353-7949 or 951-353-7133.

According to jail records, his next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21.

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Former President Donald Trump will return to CNN’s airwaves on Wednesday, joining the network for a two-hour town hall event in early-voting New Hampshire a day after a civil jury found him liable for sexually assaulting an advice columnist nearly three decades ago.

The forum, which was publicly announced last week, was expected to be notable because it would be bringing together a network and a candidate who have long sparred with each other. But the stakes raised considerably Tuesday after jurors in New York found Trump had sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll, though it rejected her claim that he raped her. The jury awarded her $5 million in damages.

While the civil trial verdict carries no criminal penalties, it nonetheless revives attention on the myriad investigations facing Trump, who was indicted in New York in March for hush money payments made to women who had accused him of sexual encounters. Trump is also facing investigations in Georgia and Washington over his alleged interference in the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents and potential obstruction of justice.

It also returns focus to questions over Trump’s treatment of women over the years, raising the stakes for an event at which he will be forced to respond to tough questioning from host Kaitlan Collins and the audience. Carroll is one of more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment over the years, allegations Trump has denied.

Trump historically has not reacted well when pressed on stage about his behavior toward women, most notably during the first Republican presidential debate of 2015, when he sparred with then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly. He later said she had “blood coming out of her wherever” when she was questioning him.

Trump has a much more contentious relationship with CNN than he had with Fox at the time. Trump has called the network “fake news” and has sparred personally with Collins. She was once barred from a Rose Garden event after Trump’s team got upset with her shouted questions at an earlier Oval Office availability.

Nonetheless, Trump’s team saw the invitation from CNN as an opportunity to connect with a broader swath of voters than those who usually tune into the conservative outlets he favors.

“President Trump has been battle-tested and is a proven winner. He doesn’t shy away from anything and faces them head on,” said Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung.

The appearance will also serve as yet another contrast with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seen as a top rival to Trump for the GOP presidential nomination and is expected to launch his campaign in the coming weeks. DeSantis has taken a sheltered media approach, largely eschewing questions from the mainstream press while embracing Fox News, which was once a loyal Trump cheerleader but which Trump now frequently denigrates.

In response, Trump’s team has turned to new channels, including popular conservative podcasts and made-for-social-media videos that often rack up hundreds of thousands of views. His team has also been inviting reporters from a variety of outlets to ride aboard his plane and has been arranging unadvertised stops at local restaurants and other venues to show him interacting with cheering supporters, in contrast to the less charismatic DeSantis.

It remains unclear how or whether Tuesday’s verdict will have any impact on the race. Trump’s indictment in New York only seemed to improve his standing in the GOP primary, and his top rivals largely avoided commenting Tuesday night, with a couple of exceptions.

Former Arizona Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a vocal Trump critic, called the accusations “another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.” Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy came to his defense and said he doubted a case would have even been brought if the defendant had been someone other than Trump.

Even before Tuesday’s verdict, the CNN town hall — the first major television event of the 2024 presidential campaign — had raised suspicion from both sides of the political divide.

Democrats questioned whether a man who continues to spread lies about his 2020 election loss — lies that sparked a deadly insurrection —- should be given a primetime airtime platform. Conservatives wondered why Trump would appear on — and potentially give a ratings bump to — a network that he has continually disparaged as “fake news.”

A Trump adviser, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said CNN executives had made a compelling pitch to the former president during talks.

The adviser also noted that Trump found success in 2016 by stepping outside Republicans’ traditional comfort zone.

The former president plugged his appearance in a statement posted before Tuesday’s verdict, saying CNN was “rightfully desperate” to get a ratings bump from him.

“They made me a deal I couldn’t refuse!!!” he wrote on Truth Social. “Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Let’s see what happens? Wednesday Night at 8:00!!!”

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Bill Cosby used friendly spaces — a film set at a public park, a game room — to give 16-year-old Judy Huth a sense of safety before sexually abusing her, Huth’s lawyer said Wednesday in opening statements at a civil trial.

Attorney Nathan Goldberg said the meeting of Cosby, already a major star in the spring of 1975, and Huth, then a typical Southern California teenager, was highly unlikely, and would lead to her life changing permanently.

“The odds of their world colliding and intermingling were slight to none,” Goldberg said.

A few days later, Cosby would take Huth to the Playboy Mansion, where he led her and a 17-year-old friend to a room off the main house full of pinball machines and other games that they played.

Goldberg projected for the jury an old, washed-out photo that Huth’s friend, Donna Samuelson, took of Cosby and Huth in the room, and left it up for most of his opening statement. Cosby, clearly recognizable, is wearing a red beanie and has a beard.

There were two bedrooms with their own bathrooms connected to the game room. When Huth left a bathroom at one point, she came out to find Cosby sitting on a bed, and padded the spot next to him, directing Huth to sit.

“After she sat down, he pounced,” Goldberg said.

He attempted to put his hand down her tight pants, then exposed himself, forcing Huth to touch him sexually, Goldberg said.

The trial in its first day at a Los Angeles County courthouse stems from a 2014 lawsuit filed by Huth, now 64. It’s one of the last legal claims against Cosby after his Pennsylvania criminal conviction was thrown out 11 months ago and many other lawsuits were settled by his insurer.

Cosby’s attorneys will give their opening statement Wednesday afternoon. Cosby’s attorneys will give their opening statement Wednesday afternoon, but have said no sexual abuse happened.

Goldberg said Huth and Samuelson, who will be the trial’s first witness, went to Lacy Park in San Marino, California, most likely in March of 1975, to play frisbee when they came upon the set of the movie “Let’s Do It Again,” which Cosby was shooting with Sidney Poitier.

The two whispered with excitement when they saw Cosby, and the comedian mocked their whispers when he saw them.

“He couldn’t have been friendlier,” Goldberg said.

Cosby invited the girls to meet him a few days later at a tennis club, where he had them play a game of pool where the loser had to drink a beer. Goldberg said Huth had to drink at least one beer, but can’t remember how many.

Without saying where they were going, Cosby got in his own car and led the girls in their car to the Playboy Mansion.

Goldberg said before Cosby molested Huth, he had been putting his hands on Samuelson’s shoulder, but she “made it obvious to him that it was not OK.”

Samuelson was oblivious and playing games when the abuse in the bedroom took place, but Huth told her about it as soon as Cosby left them alone, and she will tell the same story she heard then on the stand this week, Goldberg said.

The abuse would immediately lead to emotional problems for Huth.

“She was no longer the happy-go-lucky girl she had been,” Goldberg said.

She would “bury” her feelings for decades, Goldberg said, but they would come rushing back, and she would suffer from serious anxiety. The effects increased when Huth’s son reached the age she was when it happened, and when similar stories about Cosby began to emerge.

Two women will testify to similar experiences with Cosby when they were teenagers within a year of Huth’s meeting him.

In his opening, Goldberg sought to head off potential defense arguments.

He emphasized that after 47 years, Samuelson and Huth’s stories are bound to differ in the details.

“They don’t remember everything exactly the same way,” Goldberg said. “If they did you would be suspicious.”

He said some previously stated details, like Huth remembering playing Donkey Kong, which wasn’t invented until years later, in the Playboy Mansion game room, did not mean the core elements of her story were wrong.

“So she didn’t get the name of the game right, so what?” Goldberg said.

Cosby is not attending the trial, and will not be compelled to testify. Parts of a video deposition he gave soon after the suit was filed will be played for the jury.

The Associated Press does not normally name people who say they have been sexually abused, unless they come forward publicly, as Huth has.

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Krystall Jackson, 39, was arrested on Friday within hours of a phone call made to police reporting the suspected sexual assault of a 14-year-old student in the Kings Canyon Unified School District.

“As of right now, we do not have additional victims but we can’t say for certain whether or not there are additional victims,” Fresno County Sheriff Lt. Brandon Pursell said in a Friday evening press conference broadcast by Fox affiliate KMPH, noting that Jackson had been a long-time educator in a number of schools in the Central Valley area. Pursell encouraged any other possible assault victims to come forward.

Jackson was charged with four counts of rape, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child — which is defined as three or more acts of abuse over a period of three months or more — one count of oral copulation with a child, one count of communicating with a child with the intent to commit a felony and one count of meeting with a child for lewd purposes. Her bail was set at $365,000, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. California inmate records reflect that she was bonded out on Saturday.

According to police, Jackson began her career as a teacher in the Kings Canyon Unified School District in 2020, where her role was to supervise students utilizing the district’s independent study program. The 14-year-old boy was enrolled as a homeschool student through the Mountain View Independent School, an Alternative School of Choice in the district. Jackson was reportedly his supervising instructor, authorities said.

California law, while not explicitly authorizing the homeschooling of children, offers parents and students a number of means to attain that end. This includes a system of independent study programs and schools that, as of the 2021 school year, most districts are required to maintain. In those programs, the law specifies that students must receive a certain amount of instruction from, as well as one-on-one interactions with, a certified teacher. This stipulation is depending on the students’ grade level.

Jackson met the student, as she reportedly did with many others, at Dunlap Leadership Academy once weekly, the Fresno Sheriff Lt. Pursell explained. Following the accusation against Jackson, investigators collected evidence from the academy.

“We were able to get some forensic evidence that is corroborating to the statement we are getting,” Pursell added.

Citing the accusor’s right to privacy, Pursell did not release further details about the number of assaults Jackson is alleged to have committed against the boy or where the alleged assaults took place.

While police said they’d not obtained warrants to search Jackson’s home or her digital devices as of Friday, Purcell noted that the evidence obtained from other devices was key in their investigation.

“We take this opportunity to remind parents to be diligent, check your kids’ cell phones, ask them about their days and just be very engaged in their online lives, also,” he added.

The school district issued a statement last week to Central Valley CBS affiliate KGPE noting that the district was cooperating with the investigation and was providing counseling to students, and added that it could not comment on personnel matters.

MEGAN CARPENTIER | Contributed

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