Founder of nonprofit for kids with disabilities accused of sexually abusing minors since 2010
09/06/2024 12:05 pm PDT
ORLANDO, Fla. (TCN) -- Federal agents allege that the founder of a nonprofit for children with disabilities sexually abused minors for decades.
The FBI’s Tampa Division, Orlando Resident Agency announced Sept 5 that they are seeking additional victims of James "Jamie" Grover. Grover allegedly predominantly targeted boys from around 2010 to the present while working as the group director for Autism on the Seas and as the founder of Special Need Advocacy Program (SNAP), a nonprofit that offers opportunities to special needs communities.
According to a federal complaint obtained by WTVT-TV, three victims who had volunteered for SNAP at some point came forward and said they were minors when the alleged abuse began. Grover allegedly encouraged them to masturbate in front of him, told them they could get paid to do pornography, and took naked photographs of them.
The complaint alleges that Grover performed oral sex on at least one of the victims several times, groped a minor’s buttocks, demonstrated to a boy how to shave his pubic area, and frequently offered cigarettes and vape pens.
In 2023, Grover allegedly brought two minors, who were 15 and 16 at the time, on two cruises out of Port Canaveral, pushed the cabin beds together, and performed sexual acts. The teens reportedly told officials Grover made them feel like they’d be "crazy" to come forward. Grover allegedly told one of the victims, "If you tell anyone, your family won’t believe you because you are an autistic child."
According to the complaint reviewed by WTVT, an FBI agent interviewed Grover in July, but he denied the allegations and claimed the teens "wanted attention." Grover reportedly said one of the victims "is not an honest person and has a history of lying."
During a search of Grover’s residence, investigators allegedly found a tablet with pornography on it, as well as the razor believed to have been used to shave a victim. He was booked into the Seminole County Jail as a federal inmate. According to the FBI, he faces a charge of sexual abuse of a minor.
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