Roger E. Zellars
COURTESY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY JAIL
Two Western Pennsylvania men are the latest accused of raping or sexually abusing girls stemming from a statewide grand jury investigation of child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community.
Ronald W. Mangone, 69, of Lower Burrell and Roger E. Zellars, 68, of Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood are separately accused of sexually assaulting girls about 30 years ago.
The ongoing grand jury probe of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, founded in the Pittsburgh area and headquartered in New York state, began with a referral from a county prosecutor in 2019 who felt the state should take a broader look at the issue.
Including Mangone and Zellars, 16 suspects have been identified and accused of raping or molesting children, some as young as 4.
One defendant killed himself before he was arrested.
Critics claim Jehovah’s Witnesses elders have treated child sexual abuse as a sin rather than a crime, documenting them in internal files but not reporting them to authorities. A church spokesman previously challenged those criticisms, saying elders comply with reporting requirements and that members are free to report sexual assaults to authorities.
Mangone is charged with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, three misdemeanor counts of indecent assault and misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.
Mangone was arraigned April 3 before New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., who set bond at $100,000, according to court records. He was released from Westmoreland County jail the next day after a professional bondsman posted the bond.
A preliminary hearing before Pallone is scheduled for May 30.
Mangone’s family was actively involved in the New Kensington Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation and later in the West End French congregation, according to a criminal complaint filed by the state Attorney General’s Office.
In testimony to the grand jury, the woman, now 37, told authorities that Mangone sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions between 1991 and 1994.
Mangone’s attorney, Duke George, said his client denies the allegations.
“The only thing I have is the criminal complaint. We haven’t had an opportunity to cross-examine or do anything with reference to the case,” George said. “We have no discovery. I don’t know what the (district attorney) has with reference to their investigation of the case. Eventually, we’ll get all of that in preparation for our defense.”
The woman’s older sister, 49, also testified to the grand jury that Mangone had sexually assaulted her when she was about 12 to 13 years old, in 1988 or 1989. Those incidents also were reported to elders at the New Kensington Jehovah’s Witnesses hall but not to police, the Attorney General’s Office says.
Although Mangone cannot be charged with any criminal offenses pertaining to the older sister because the statute of limitations has expired, “the offenses demonstrate a common plan, scheme or design that corroborates” the younger sister’s testimony, the complaint against Mangone states.
Both women testified to the grand jury that, in 2016, they had discussed Mangone abusing them. After this discussion, their mother was told of the younger girl’s abuse, who reported it to Jehovah’s Witnesses elders, the complaint states.
The Zellars case
Zellars waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday. He is charged with multiple counts of rape, statutory rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault.
Zellars was being held in Allegheny County Jail. On Tuesday, his bond was reduced from $500,000 to $10,000, according to court records. His formal arraignment is scheduled for June 13.
A woman, now 41, testified to the grand jury that Zellars began sexually assaulting her in 1992 and the assaults continued into 1993, when she was 9 or 10 years old, a criminal complaint states.
“These rapes required Zellars to carefully plan to be alone with (the victim),” the complaint states.
The woman’s aunt corroborated her niece’s testimony, authorities said. That aunt testified she once saw Zellars on top of her niece and they were both naked, after which she told her niece’s grandmother and mother.
The woman’s mother also corroborated her daughter’s testimony. She testified that she met Zellars at the Sheraden Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation, and that she reported the abuse to its elders.
Zellars was “disfellowshipped for having sexual relations” with the 10-year-old girl, according to a Jehovah’s Witnesses document that the complaint says was obtained by the grand jury. In the document, Zellars said the incidents happened twice.
That document stated that, when asked if he would do it again, Zellars said “he probably would,” and was non-repentant, according to the criminal complaint.
Zellars is being represented by a public defender, Art Ettinger, who said he was not permitted to make a statement for his client.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.