Ex-US Rep. Gary Ackerman Faces Child Sex Charges

Former US Representative Gary Ackerman (D-Roslyn) was hit with charges that he raped a teenage boy in Boy Scouts’ summer camp, where Ackerman worked as a camp counselor in the late 1960s. Ackerman, now 76, served 28 years in Congress, and is currently an appointed Commissioner of the Nassau County Civil Service Commission.

The charges were filed before the New York County Supreme Court last Friday. According to the Court charges, Ackerman, then 24, was lead Counselor at “Camp Aquehonga” in upstate New York. Ackerman allegedly manipulated the underage teen boy into his car, for a ride down a long, deserted road. Alone with the boy, Ackerman then began touching and fondling the boy, before forcing the child to perform oral sex on him.

Jordan Merson, the child victim's attorney stated to the NY Post that the child victim - now in his late 60s - “is not doing this for publicity. He is doing this because he feels wronged and was taken advantage of...”

Merson explained that every time Ackerman appears on television, the child victim “felt like he was trapped in that car again...Every time he sees or hears Ackerman's name, he goes into a panic attack...”

Last year, Ackerman, who was once the powerful Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, was hired by New York lobbying firm, Gotham Government Relations. At Gotham, Ackerman represents the Islamist movement of Fetullah Gulen, accused by the elected government of Turkey of organizing an attempted 2016 military coup that killed 210 people, and left over 1200 injured, according to the Washington Examiner. The Gulen Islamist group paid Gotham $157,500 for Ackerman's representation.

Just last month - July, 2019 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D-Babylon) approved a $24,999 “discretionary consulting contract" with Ackerman - $1 below the mandatory Legislative review threshold - for “civil service” matters. The Ackerman contract was blasted by Republican Suffolk Legislator Tom Cilmi who said, “Bellone is writing checks to his friend [Ackerman] on the taxpayers' dime...”

In 2010, as a member of Congress, Ackerman demanded that the Boy Scouts admit openly gay camp counselors at overnight Boy Scout camps.

Ackerman’s New York attorney, Oscar Michelen, disputed the charges against Ackerman, stating that “we intend to vigorously defend the Congressman's honor and reputation...”