Curling chair resigns in wake of soccer abuse investigation
Tampa police have told the Tampa Bay Times that several former employees of the World Curling Federation were convicted for abuse of the organisation’s youth volunteers.
The guilty verdicts in the case were handed down on Wednesday, and the investigation was prompted by alleged abuse of teenage girls.
But those responsible for the abuse were not directly named, and the guilty verdicts also did not name the individuals who were alleged to have committed the crimes.
While the guilty verdicts were not necessarily linked to the investigation of abuse of volunteer at Curling Tampa, several former employees of the organisation were convicted for the crimes.
Tampa police spokesman Frank Figg told The Tampa Bay Times that four former World Curling Federation employees have been convicted after pleading guilty. He added that an additional former World Curling Federation employee pleaded guilty in relation to the offence of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
In total seven former World Curling Federation employees have been charged in relation to abuse of youth volunteers.
According to Figg the six former employees had been previously charged, but have pleaded guilty in relation to the latest charges.
The seventh person has also pleaded guilty in relation to the new counts against them.
The World Curling Federation, based in British Columbia, Canada, has been working with police to bring the charges against the former employees.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the federation said: “World Curling has reached out to the World Curling Federation of Canada to offer full support for their investigation. We will work with the individuals involved and provide full assistance should they desire it.”
Figg said police were looking into allegations of abuse involving several World Curling Federation volunteers in the US and Canada.
He said: “In total seven individuals have been charged with offences ranging from the conspiracy to defraud, from mail fraud to the use of a computer to harass former World Curling volunteers.
“While police investigation continues, the World Curling Federation has engaged independent and international experts to review this investigation.”
The charges were filed by Tampa police in New York.
The World Curling Federation confirmed that a civil suit in Vancouver, B.C., against the organisation had been settled.
The organisation said: “World Curling and the individuals who were
