A recent report from the Associated Press unearthed a slew of sexual abuse allegations from former Boy Scouts of America. 

According to the report, two former scouts' scoutmasters allegedly took advantage of them when they were young and impressionable. One of the men, Darrell Jackson, is a 57-year-old New York resident. When he was just a young boy, he was a scout in a Brooklyn troop led by Freddie Modica.

Other young boys in 1972 made trips to the leader's home. There were also instances where Modica allegedly gave the boys cigarettes and alcohol. Jackson decided to join the others who went to the scoutmaster's home. 

“They made it seem like it was a big thing — and I felt out of the loop,” Jackson said. “When I got a chance to go, I was like ‘OK.’”

Modica posed as a father figure. He then allegedly used his position to molest boys in his group.

Jackson had to work up the courage to tell his grandmother about the sexual abuse he experienced. The revelation led to a trial and years of psychological struggles. Jackson told the AP he was bullied and called gay slurs for standing up to Modica.

“It caused me to go into crime, drugs, everything, just to block stuff out,” he said. “It basically messed up my life.”

Years later, his marriage and career aspirations fell apart due to mental anguish.  

Another victim had a similar story. Raymond Luna was also abused in New York during the 1970s. Luna was invited to his scoutmaster's home and taken advantage of.

The AP report does not specify if both men had the same scoutmaster. However, a report from the Los Angeles Times did mention there are at least 7,819 suspected abusers in Boy Scouts of America files, as well as 12,254 victims.

“The shame was so big — like it was a secret,” Luna told The AP. “During my teenage years up to when I was 33, I totally blocked it out.”

He too turned to drugs and alcohol to medicate himself. Both men are part of a lawsuit alleging the scouts covered up and did not effectively address allegations. For example, Luna's former scoutmaster was caught abusing a 12-year-old in 1964 but remained in the role until 1975. 

The Boy Scouts of America wants victims to come forward. The organization has made an effort to improve policies, increase background checks and proper vet scoutmasters. 

“We believe victims, we support them,” said the BSA’s chief executive, Mike Surbaugh. “We encourage them to come forward.”