Oct. 27—A former Berks County man was among four men charged Thursday as a result of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into the sexual abuse of children, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced.

Jesse Hill, 52, formerly of Perry Township and now a resident of Georgia, is accused of using his milling business, which employed a number of Jehovah's Witnesses members from several Berks congregations, to gain access to workers' children, Shapiro said. Hill leveraged his family's trusted name within their religious community to prey on boys as young as 9 during the 1990s, plying his victims with trips to the mall and R-rated movies, alcohol, marijuana and candy, according to the charges.

The grand jury learned that Hill's family would often host hoedowns on a large property on Farview Road in Perry Township. The property had recreation areas, including a cabin where one of the victim's said he was molested, as well as a portion of the family business, officials said.

"Ultimately, Hill gained the trust of several parents and was permitted extensive access to congregational juvenile males," the probable cause affidavit states. "This included taking unsupervised daily trips with juveniles to area movie theaters and malls, the business property and to Hill's own residence."

Hill would expose himself to the children, grope them and force them to perform sex acts, investigators said. The investigation revealed at least 10 victims of Hill's abuse, victims whose families were members of the JW Kutztown Congregation, the JW Reading South Congregation and JW North Congregation.

The other three defendants — Jose Serrano, 69, of Lancaster County; Eric Eleam, 61, of Butler County; and Robert Ostrander, 56, formerly of Cambria County and now a resident of New York — also have ties to the Jehovah's Witnesses religious order, officials said.

When state agents and local police went to arrest Eleam at his home, he retreated to his bathroom and took his own life, Shapiro said.

Combined, the four men were accused of sexually abusing 19 children with whom they had close contact, Shapiro said.

"These cases are disturbing, the allegations hard to imagine, and all share one common tie: The 19 victims and the four men who are being charged with sexually violating them are all members of Jehovah's Witnesses," Shapiro said. "These children deserved to be protected and grow up in peace, not to be preyed upon."

Hill is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and corruption of minors. He has not yet been arraigned

The charges stem from the 49th Investigating Grand Jury.

According to Shapiro:

Serrano is accused of molesting six young girls in 2011. He admitted to the grand jury that he has struggled throughout his life with deviant impulses. He has been charged with aggravated indecent assault and endangering the welfare of children.

Ostrander is accused of abusing two females. He was charged with indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.

Eleam was accused of using sexual assault as a form of discipline against a female. He was charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and child endangerment.

Anyone with information regarding child sexual abuse is encouraged to report information to the office of attorney general's hotline at 888-538-8541.