Who was Thomas Hacker? | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #hacker

CONVICTED pedophile Thomas Hacker was part of one of the most controversial scandals in the history of the Boy Scouts of America.

As a former leader, children looked up to him, but by his own admission, he took advantage of them and sexually abused more than 100 children in Illinois and Indiana.

Who was Thomas Hacker?

Thomas Hacker was a serial pedophile, convicted multiple times of sexually abusing young boys between the ages of 10 and 14.

He preyed on these boys between the 1960s and 1980s while holding leadership positions in places like the Boy Scouts, Catholic churches, and Chicago Public Schools.

By his own admission, he sexually abused hundreds of children, and it was not until 1989 that he was locked away for good.

At the time, he was sentenced to 100 years in prison by Judge Lester McCurrie, who called the damage he had done “mind-boggling.”

Hacker later died in June 2018 at the age of 81 of heart failure while incarcerated at Big Muddy Correctional Center, according to the Chicago Tribune.

How was Thomas Hacker affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America?

Before Hacker was locked away for life, he had multiple roles within the Boy Scouts of America organization.

In the 1960s, he served as a scout leader for at least three troops in Indiana, despite being arrested for allegedly molesting boys in 1961, according to CBS News.

In 1971, Hacker was labeled an “ineligible volunteer” by the Scouts after he was convicted of sexually abusing boys, but he continued to get placed in leadership roles through the late 1980s.

“Did you know it would be easy to get back into the Boy Scouts?” Eagle Tribune columnist Christopher Hurley asked Hacker during a deposition.

“Well, I knew it would be. I was positive. I never even gave it a second thought,” Hacker answered.

How can I watch Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America?

It has been alleged over the years that the Boy Scouts tried to cover up decades of sexual abuse cases.

Those allegations will now be explored in the Netflix docuseries, Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America.

The series, which is scheduled to premiere on September 6, 2023, exclusively on the streaming service, will feature interviews with survivors, whistleblowers, and experts as they “recount the Boy Scouts’ decades-long cover-up of sexual abuse cases and its impact.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.