Brooklyn, New York - Former Auburn Family Center Employee Clyde Johnson Convicted of Groping 3 Homeless Women at Shelter

Former Brooklyn Homeless Case Worker Guilty of Sexually Abusing 3 Women

Last Update: 7/13/2020

A former housing caseworker for the Auburn Family Center homeless shelter in Fort Greene, Brooklyn has been convicted of groping 3 women who were seeking help at the shelter.

A jury convicted 56-year-old Clyde Johnson of three counts of forcible touching and one count of third-degree sexual abuse before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson.

The DA’s office alleged that Johnson sexually abused three residents of the shelter in four separate incidents.

In April 2017, prosecutors said he groped a resident during a meeting on her housing situation.

In July of 2018, Johnson rubbed up against a shelter resident’s backside while she was at a deli near the shelter and said “this is a stickup,” according to prosecutors. One month later, he groped a third woman who had visited his office for assistance with her housing situation, according to the DA’s office.

Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16 and faces up to two years in prison.

Justice For Victims of Sexual Assault in Homeless Shelters

Attorney contributor Laurence Banville represents sexual assault victims in lawsuits against sexual predators and negligent third parties. We’ve asked Laurence to share some general information on the legal rights available to those who have been sexually assaulted as residents in homeless shelters:

Employees of homeless shelters are working with some of the most vulnerable citizens of our cities, so it’s critical that these employees can be trusted. There is a high risk of abuse in this field and others that involve working from positions of trust with vulnerable individuals. Sadly, sometimes sexual predators seek out positions in these fields and exploit their positions of trust to sexually assault the people they are trusted to look after.

When a homeless shelter employee is charged with sexually assaulting residents, it’s important to ask if the assault could have been prevented. Sometimes sexual assaults only occur due to the negligence of a third party, such as an employer that failed to run a background check. In cases of negligence, the victims may have grounds for a lawsuit against that third party.

If you or a loved one has been sexually assaulted at a homeless shelter, you can learn more about your legal rights in a free case consultation with one of our experienced sexual assault victims lawyers.

Sources:

http://www.brooklynda.org/2019/10/31/former-homeless-services-employee-convicted-of-forcible-touching-sexual-abuse-for-inappropriately-touching-women-in-homeless-shelter/