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Yankees Hall of Fame Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara Riverahave been accused of covering up the sexual abuse of children in their home and in their church.
The allegations were made against Mariano, 55, and Clara in a lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday, January 16.
The complaint, filed in the Supreme Court of Westchester County and obtained by Us Weeklyalleges that the Riveras covered up the abuse of a young woman associated with their church, Refuge of Hope in New Rochelle, New York.
Mariano is the head pastor of the church while Clara is responsible for its day-to-day operations. They are accused of being negligent after discovering that the young girl (known as “Jane Doe”) was being abused by an older little girl (known as “MG”) and did not act following the a discovery.
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The alleged abuse occurred during a summer 2018 internship at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, a program supported by the Refuge of Hope church. The complainant was encouraged to participate in the internship by Clara, who suggested it to her mother, according to the complaint. The plaintiff’s mother became concerned about her daughter’s safety at the camp following phone calls from the plaintiff, who then got up with Clara, and assured Jane Doe’s mother that she would investigate further, according to the suit.
According to the complaint’s allegations, the Riveras made their way from New York to the summer camp in Florida where they “learned or should have learned information” about the sexual abuse.
Mariano Rivera
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)The complaint reads: “Instead of taking adequate steps to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe (the victim), the Riveras all separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into remaining silent about her abuse by MG (the suspect) to avoid causing trouble for Refuge. of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship.”
The alleged abuse then continued at a barbecue at the couple’s former home in Rye, NY after Jane Doe returned from summer camp, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that the couple invited children from the church to the barbecue where Jane Doe was left unattended with MG despite the earlier incidents that allegedly took place at the Florida summer camp. It is alleged that the children’s parents, including Jane Doe’s mother, were not invited to the barbecue.
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The complaint alleges that the Riveras did not take appropriate steps and chose to deal with them internally in order to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal, and potential financial losses as a result of allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public information.”
Ruben Tavarez Jr., adult son of Fuge of Hope Associate Shepherd Ruben Tavarez Sr.is also accused in the lawsuit of abusing the girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano found fame playing 19 seasons as a closer for the New York Yankees. During his tenure from 1995 to 2013, he became a 13-time MLB All-Star and a five-time World Series champion. In 1999, he won the World Series MVP Award that year. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2019. That same year, he was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Riveras have not yet responded to the lawsuit and do not have an attorney listed.
