The vice president of the Buffalo branch of Bikers Against Child Abuse has been arrested on charges of child porn possession.
John C. Todaro, 49, was arrested Wednesday for promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child, according to the New York State Police.
Bikers Against Child Abuse, Inc. (B.A.C.A.) pledges “to create a safer environment for abused children”, according to the mission statement on their website.
The tax exempt non-profit also seeks to “empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live."
Police have said thanks to his role within the group, Todaro had opportunities to be around children.
Investigators from Clarence, just northeast of Buffalo, conducted a sweep of the 49-year-old’s electronic devices as part of an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation supported by the Troop A Computer Crimes Unit, according to a statement from the New York State Police. It’s not clear what tipped investigators off.
Todaro was released on his own recognizance and will appear in court in Amherst again in May.
New York State Police have asked anyone with information to contact them at 585-344-6200.
The Buffalo chapter was established in 2014. In 2023, the group’s efforts saw them awarded “Bikers Against Child Abuse” month in Erie County.
According to the charity’s website, an abused child can contact the B.A.C.A, where a child liaison first speaks to them.
“The Liaison [then] contacts the family, and an initial ride is organized to meet the child at their home or in some other location where the child will feel comfortable,” according to the website.
The group of bikers designated to that area then rides to meet the child, who is given a vest with a B.A.C.A. patch sewn on the back to wear.
Children who have suffered abuse will then undergo a step-by-step process of being integrated into the group as a “family member” and B.A.C.A members will even attend the court hearings where, if the children are required to testify against their alleged abusers, providing a judge permits it.
However, this is not the first time B.A.C.A members have been tied to child sex abuse crimes.
In 2009, David Wayne Garvey, a member in Houston, was arrested for possession of child pornography. His membership was subsequently revoked. He was sentenced in 2011 to 20 years on four counts of “possession with intent to promote child pornography,” according to court records seen by The Independent.
In 2018, members of the B.A.C.A Sam Bass chapter in Round Rock, Texas, were arrested in July 2018 for 23 counts of abusing foster children in their care, including indecency with a child and injury to a child, according to an affidavit seen by CBS News.
The accused were a married couple, Daniel and Shirley Rodriguez.
A year later, Oklahoma B.A.C.A. member Richard David West, 41, was arrested and charged with lewd or indecent acts or proposals to a child under the age of 16, according to public records seen by The Independent.
The Independent contacted Bikers Against Child Abuse (B.A.C.A) for comment.
