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Child safeguarding · Claim record

A multi-year Pennsylvania statewide grand jury investigation into abuse within Jehovah's Witness congregations produced criminal charges against at least fourteen individual men between October 2022 and July 2023; the Attorney General said the investigation of the organisation itself was ongoing. Press releases from the Attorney General’s office report that some defendants have since pleaded guilty or been convicted; those releases could not be opened during research, so the individual outcomes are not verified here.

Claim ID claim-safeguarding-pennsylvania-grand-juryConcerns 7 July 2023Outcome
Outcome · 7 July 2023 Supported

A multi-year Pennsylvania statewide grand jury investigation into abuse within Jehovah's Witness congregations produced criminal charges against at least fourteen individual men between October 2022 and July 2023; the Attorney General said the investigation of the organisation itself was ongoing. Press releases from the Attorney General’s office report that some defendants have since pleaded guilty or been convicted; those releases could not be opened during research, so the individual outcomes are not verified here. Associated Press (via WESA, Pittsburgh), 20 April 2023The Philadelphia Inquirer, 7 July 2023

The organisation’s position or later explanation: Spokesman Jarrod Lopes: the organisation 'does recognize abuse as a crime', members may report, and the second-witness requirement applies only to internal discipline.

Show the evidence (2 sources)
Reputable reporting Verified

Associated Press (via WESA, Pittsburgh), “Pennsylvania charges put focus on Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of abuse”

20 April 2023 · Mark Scolforo and Peter Smith · Associated Press

“does recognize abuse as a crime”

Organisation spokesman Jarrod Lopes' response, adding that members may report to authorities, that the second-witness requirement applies only to internal discipline and that elders comply with reporting laws regardless of witness availability. The AP reported nine men charged between October 2022 and February 2023 after a four-year grand jury investigation, with the Attorney General saying the investigation of the organisation itself was ongoing.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Syndicated copy opened (wesa.fm redirected to wesanews.org).

Corroborated by. src-inquirer-2023-0707-pa-charges

Notes. Official PA Office of Attorney General releases (e.g. Westmoreland County, Allegheny County, Butler County case updates) could not be opened (HTTP 403); their existence is confirmed by search listings only. Archive reference removed: https://apnews.com (blocked in this environment; original AP URL not recorded)

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-ap-2023-0420-wesa-pa-charges

Reputable reporting Verified

The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Pa. attorney general charges five Jehovah's Witnesses with rape, sexual abuse of children”

7 July 2023 · Rodrigo Torrejón and David Gambacorta · The Philadelphia Inquirer

“The charges follow a statewide grand jury investigation; the defendants were charged in five separate counties.”

Report of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s announcement of charges arising from a statewide grand jury investigation. Charges are allegations; none of the defendants had been tried when the announcement was made, and each is presumed innocent unless convicted.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Article opened.

Corroborated by. src-ap-2023-0420-wesa-pa-charges

Notes. Charges are allegations until conviction; later press releases report convictions and sentences of individual defendants (not opened: attorneygeneral.gov returned 403).

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-inquirer-2023-0707-pa-charges

Claim page

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-safeguarding-pennsylvania-grand-jury/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.