Ex-Sparta Priest Named On Boy Scout 'Perversion List'

SPARTA, NJ — A Sparta priest who admitted in court to touching two boys in the 1980s is also named on a list of men banned from the Boy Scouts of America due to sexual abuse allegations, lawyers said on Tuesday.

Rev. William N. Cramer was included in a list known as the "perversion files," an internal document kept by the Boy Scouts of those who were barred from membership. The effort, led by the law firms of Greg Gianforcaro and Jeff Anderson & Associates, named 50 now-banned former Boy Scout members in New Jersey, and was announced in a Tuesday afternoon press conference. The list reportedly dates back 70 years.

Cramer was banned from the Scouts following a 1988 criminal proceeding, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He served three years probation, and was later found civilly responsible and forced to pay $38,000 in damages.

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The assault happened in the boys' bedroom at their home, a Star Ledger article from the time said. It's not clear how Cramer knew the two boys.

Prior to his ban, Cramer obtained the rank of Eagle Scout and was a member of the Morris-Sussex Area Council Camp staff, internal documents published by the LA Times show.

Cramer served as a priest at Our Lady Of The Lake between 1977 and 1985; he then went on to serve at Our Lady of the Valley in Wayne, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, and St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson. He was removed from that assignment in June 2002 when a "zero tolerance" policy was put in place. Cramer has not been laicized, or stripped of his priesthood.

"We believe victims, we support them, and we have paid for unlimited counseling by a provider of their choice," a statement issued by the Boy Scouts ahead of the Tuesday press conference read. "Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in Ssouting and we are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children."