By Dan Murphy
James Collins Jr. worked in the 1980’s as a coach, counselor and bus driver in Northern Westchester. A lawsuit filed four years ago accuses Collins of sexually abusing and harassing young boys at the Boys & Girls Club and in the Chappaqua School District 40 years ago.
Now comes the disturbing news that Colllins was arrested again, in 2024, for the same pattern of behavior. US Attorney Damian Williams announced the charges against Collins on Jan. 24.
Collins, 67, who resides in Bedford Hills, was charged with enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and with sexual exploitation of a minor. The incident for which Collins was charged by the Feds occured on November 7, 2023, when Collins attempted to persuade an individual acting in an undercover capacity and posing as a 15-year-old boy to meet the defendant in Westchester County, for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities.
From at least on or about September 16, 2023, up to and including at least on or about November 7, 2023, COLLINS, who used the Snapchat username “jimc20237221,” persuaded a 17-year-old minor in Illinois to engage in sexually explicit activity and send COLLINS videos and photos of such activity.
Collins was caught after a 15-year old boy told the New Castle Police Department that he engaged in sex with Collins in the bathroom of the Chappaqua library in July 2023. The boy was paid $200 by Collins for sex, and the boy picked Collins from a photo.
The boy then allowed the New Castle police permission to use his Snapchat account to contact Collins. On Nov. 7, a detective set up a time to “meet” Collins in the library bathroom again. Collins was arrested but was out on bail when he was arrested by the Feds for his online interactions with an underage boy in Illinois, who Collins was asking for videos and photos of the boy engaging in sexually explicit activity.
According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, “COLLINS, who is 67 years old, told Detective-I that, several months ago, he had met an individual in the bathroom at Library-I and engaged in sexual behavior including kissing, touching and mutual masturbation, and that that same individual had sent him a message that day and wanted to meet again in the bathroom.” A search of Collins phone found additional photographs and videos of boys as young as 10 years old.
Collins is the owner of Jimmy’s bar in Katonah. He now faces 30 years in prison if convicted.
Anyone who may have encountered COLLINS or whose child may have had any communications with COLLINS is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
The lawsuit filed against Collins and the, Mount Kisco, Camp Iroquois, the Boys & Girls club of Northern Westchester, Horace Greeley High School and the Chappaqua Central School District, alleges neglect in overseeing Collins employment in each, as a camp coordinator, sports coach and school monitor, aide, and bus driver.
Later on, Collins worked as a janitor and bus driver at the Cedar Knolls School in Hawthorne, where he was able to target vulnerable boys. Sexual acts mentioned in the suit include multiple masterbastion and forced sex.
