Boy Scout leader accused of giving teen member LSD, pot
MINEOLA, N.Y. -- An assistant scoutmaster at a suburban New York Boy Scouts troop is facing criminal charges after allegedly sharing LSD, marijuana and alcohol with a troop member.
Lawrence Moschitta, 32, of West Babylon, was arrested Sunday, according to court documents. The incident allegedly happened Dec. 3 in Moschitta's Long Island home, the documents said.
An unidentified 13-year-old allegedly shared the drugs and alcohol with Moschitta around 10 a.m., according to the court documents, which referred to the LSD by one of its street names, acid.
Moschitta, who works as an operations manager at a Long Island industrial business, was charged with two misdemeanors: unlawfully dealing with a child and failure to exercise control of a minor. He was released on $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.
Anthony Moschitta, the suspect's father, told CBS New York his son was a former Eagle Scout, and denied the accusations.
Moschitta's father, who said his son has been a Boy Scouts official for 35 years, called the charges "shocking" and baseless.
"False," he said of the accusations. "He would never do anything to endanger a Scout."
Lawrence Moschitta was removed from Troop 183's charter and is no longer a member of the Boy Scouts, according to a letter written by Scoutmaster Guy Zummo to parents and obtained by The Associated Press. The letter said the troop is working closely with police in the ongoing investigation.
"The alleged incident happened outside of a Troop function, but did involve one of our scouts," Zummo said in the letter. He did not immediately return a telephone call seeking additional comment.
Ryan A. DiBernardo, CEO of the Suffolk County Council of the Boy Scouts, said the allegations run "counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands." He added that Scouting "does not tolerate or condone illegal drug use by youth or adults and we take this issue seriously."