Father of teen 'frustrated' with progress in case of ex-scout leader accused of assault in Colorado Springs

Nov. 10—The father of a teenager who allegedly was sexually assaulted by a former Boy Scouts leader expressed his frustration Thursday with the lack of progress in his son's case.

Anthony Fruzia, 49, is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in a Colorado Springs hotel on Dec. 30, 2021, after the boy's dad allowed him to stay in the hotel with Fruzia because he trusted him, according to an affidavit acquired by The Gazette.

The arrest warrant states that the boy was sleeping on a couch in the room when Fruzia asked the boy to come to bed with him. Fruzia sexually assaulted the boy that night, the document states.

Afterward, Fruzia told the boy "his life would be ruined" if the boy "said anything," the arrest warrant alleges.

The boy's father appeared in court remotely on Thursday morning for Fruzia's interim disposition hearing, where the attorneys said they still had not reached a plea deal.

In September, Fruzia entered a plea of not guilty, but his defense attorney Theodore McClintock cautioned that there were still active plea deal negotiations taking place.

As a result, an interim disposition date was set for Thursday to see if a resolution had been agreed upon by the defense and prosecution, which the attorneys told the court it had not.

Following the update of no deal being reached, the teen's father spoke to the court about the lack of progress being made.

"I'm just frustrated," the father told the court. "My son is still traumatized from this. ... He's not emotionally doing well after what happened to him."

The father also expressed frustration with the lack of updates on the case from prosecutors over the past few months.

Fruzia's pre-trial readiness conference is scheduled for March 16, but McClintock said negotiations with the prosecution remain ongoing.

If no deal is reached, Fruzia's trial is set to begin March 20.

According to the New York Daily News, Fruzia also was named in a 2020 federal lawsuit that alleges he abused an 11-year-old boy when he was an assistant scout leader in Lake Dallas, Texas.

The 43-page lawsuit details the stories of eight men who claimed they were sexually assaulted by Boy Scouts of America leaders as children while the organization kept quiet. Fruzia is named as one of the scout leaders.

The lawsuit claims that Fruzia abused the 11-year-old boy for five years starting in 1991. The boy, whose name is redacted from the lawsuit, stated that over the five years, he was assaulted by Fruzia 20-30 times.

The lawsuit also states that the boy believed Fruzia was abusing one other troop member during that period, and that Fruzia tried to "connect (the victim) with other adults who would pay to have sex with him."

The lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America is in limbo as the court has to await the results of a Bankruptcy Court hearing involving the Boy Scouts of America, according to court records.

If Fruzia is found guilty of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 15 in a position of trust, a Class 3 felony, it could result in a four- to 12-year prison sentence.

Fruzia, who is free after posting a $10,000 bond in March, lives in Denton, Texas.