TACOMA, Wash., July 11 (UPI) -- Lawyers have settled a lawsuit by eight boys abused by their foster father in Washington state for a total of $11 million.
The suit claimed that police and government agencies were slow to act on information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Seattle Times reported. The group discovered pictures on the Internet posted by someone who identified himself as "foster dad."
Ronald Young, the foster father involved, is serving a long prison sentence. His wife, Wendy, who was not charged in the case, contributed to the settlement along with three government agencies.
The Youngs, who lived in rural Pierce County outside Tacoma, became licensed foster parents in 2002. Investigators later learned that Young lied on his application and concealed his stepfather's conviction for sexual assault on a child.
Erik Bauer, one of the lawyers, said Young took more than 700 photos in 2003 and 2004 that showed the boys having sex with each other and with him. They were posted on the Internet where some pedophiles criticized them as being sadistic.
