Eagan, Apple Valley Men Named in Boy Scouts' 'Perversion Files'

An Eagan man and an Apple Valley man were, in the 1980s, listed by the Boy Scouts of America in a confidential file, dubbed the "perversion files," for being connected to allegations of sexual abuse and homosexuality.

The files were released Thursday by order of the Oregon Supreme Court. They were used as evidence in a 2010 lawsuit against the Scouts in a molestation case that resulted in a jury awarding $20 million to a man molested by an assistant scoutmaster in the 1980s.

The files include the names of more than 1,200 people from across the country, including 23 from Minnesota, whom the Boy Scouts suspected might be child abusers.

Because many of the men listed in the "perversion files" have not been charged or convicted of crimes, some media outlets, including the Boston Globe, have refrained from naming them without further investigating the allegations.

The files are publicly available, and you can find them here.

Scoutmaster Suspended After Conviction

In the Eagan case, which dates back to 1983, a 51-year-old man named Robert Gilbert pleaded guilty to a second-degree sexual abuse charge and served a reduced sentence of six months in a workhouse program and five years of probation, condition on continuous treatment and counseling. At the time, Gilbert held the position of Scoutmaster for Troop 593.

Gilbert, described in the files as having a "bushy mustache" and dark brown and gray hair, was apparently added to the Boy Scouts' confidential files in 1984, and was suspended from Scouting following his conviction. In a meeting with Boy Scout officials in 1984, Gilbert was allegedly advised not to return to Scouting following his probation and treatment, despite his apparent interest in once again taking an active role in the organization.

In a memo, one Scouting official wrote: "I explained to Mr. Gilbert that in cases such as his, our process for removal is quite clear and because we project positive role models for youth, that his offense made his involvement in Scouting impossible at this time.

11 Counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct

In 1982, a man from Apple Valley working as a volunteer counselor for Boy Scout Post 499 was charged with sexually assaulting at least four boys, ages 12 to 14.

Police said the man, then 47-year-old Floyd Pietz, assaulted the boys during camping and fishing trips to Fort Snelling State Park and Crystal Lake in Burnsville. At the time of the charges, Pietz was registered as a unit commissioner for the Boy Scouts' Indianhead Council.

Documents in Pietz's file mention that he loved working with Scouts and adults, and made diamond willow walking sticks as a hobby.

Pietz was allegedly notified that he was suspended from Scouting prior to the filing of formal charges, according to documents released by the Boy Scouts. The file mentions that Pietz was sentenced to three years of treatment at the state hospital in St. Peter on April 8, 1983.