Right now, Jeffery London is sitting in a quiet cell waiting for his second child sex abuse trial to start. Outside, the former charter school administrator's actions are still resounding loud and clear.
In September, a group of victims filed a civil lawsuit in Broward against a clutch of charities and schools that once employed London. Now, a second suit has been filed by one of the highest-profile attorneys in the country against the same defendants, wielding the same claims: that these organizations knowingly enabled a predator to turn poor kids into sex slaves. The new suit reveals graphic new details about London's alleged abuse.
Jeffrey Herman -- a crusading Miami attorney who was behind successful civil suits against the Archdiocese of Miami and a failed suit against X-Men director Bryan Singer -- is bringing the latest legal action. Efforts to reach Herman this week weren't successful, but court documents describe the ordeal suffered by his client, Demetrius Jones.
Between 2000 and 2012, London ran a pair of unlicensed foster homes thanks to the charitable giving of one wealthy patron: the now-deceased Elizabeth Huizenga Buntrock. It was while London was running the Buntrock House around 2000 that he met 9-year-old Jones.
According to the lawsuit, Jones met London through an after-school program run by the Boys and Girls Club at London's family's church. Not long after the meeting, Jones went to a sleepover at London's residence with other boys. There, the older man learned the boy's mother was in jail. London then used his computer to forge paperwork indicating he was Jones' legal guardian, the suit claims. The boy moved to live with London, where the alleged abuse began.
Court papers claim that by the time he was 11, Jones would regularly receive oral sex from London. "As incentive and reward for Jones participating in sexual activity with London," the suit says, "London started giving Jones money, video games, and other presents." The lawsuit also says London took Jones on road trips -- from Key West to Montana -- where the sexual assault continued. London even forced Jones to participate in "threesomes" and "foursomes" with other boys, the suit says.
Throughout the time of the abuse, London was receiving financial and material support from Buntrock and other charities, including Eagle Academy Charter School and Bible Church of God Inc. -- the very support that allowed London the access and prestige that allowed the abuse to happen, the suit claims. Jones' suit targets six businesses and organizations.
Earier this year, London was acquitted in his first sex crimes trial. His next trial date is scheduled for December. He faces 18 charges from the alleged abuse of four victims.
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