James “Jimmy” Collins
By Dan Murphy
James “Jimmy” Collins, who sexually molested dozens of young boys in Northern Westchester over a period spanning 50 year, was sentenced on November 2 to 19 years in prison on federal charges of attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
Collins was arrested in a police “sting” in 2024 attempting to persuade an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old boy to engage in sexual activities.
16 men have settled lawsuits claiming Collins sexually harassed or sexually abused them from 1968 until the early 1990’s at local camps, town sports, and schools in Mount Kisco and Chappaqua. James Collins, 69, the former owner of “Jimmy’s” bar in Katonah, evaded punishment for his abusing young boys under his care as a coach, counselor, and school janitor
In January 2024, Collins was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for engaging in sexual activity with a minor under the age of 17. His arrest occurred at the public library in Chappaqua, New York.
According to the criminal complaint, on or about November 7, 2023, Collins attempted to persuade an individual acting in an undercover capacity and posing as a 15-year-old boy to meet in Westchester County, New York, for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
The complaint also alleged that 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 pled guilty to both charges.
In November 2018, after learning that Collins was working with children at a K-12 school in Westchester County, New York, several men now represented by Manly, Stewart & Finaldi and Krantz and Berman, came forward to report alleged past sex crimes committed by Collins, a former summer camp coordinator, Little League baseball coach, and school employee, to multiple law enforcement agencies.
These men alleged that Collins began preying on children, including themselves, for nearly five decades. To support their allegations, they recorded multiple conversations of Collins in which he discussed his past sexual conduct with minors. In one 2019 recording, Collins stated that his attraction to children was something, “You just can’t, like, walk away from it. You can’t just stop that.”
Manly, Stewart & Finaldi and Krantz and Berman subsequently settled civil cases behalf of 16 men who alleged sexual abuse by Collins when they were boys. The Village of Mt. Kisco, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, and the Chappaqua Central School District were named as defendants in these cases.
“This verdict is justice long delayed but finally delivered—and a reminder that survivors’ voices can create lasting change,” said victims’ attorney Sarah Klein of Manly, Stewart & Finaldi.
“This court’s sentence makes clear the despicable conduct of Jimmy Collins will not go unpunished,” said victims’ attorney Jenny Louro of Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. “Not only has Collins been held accountable in criminal court, but his enablers, the Village of Mount Kisco and the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester, have been held accountable through the civil justice system.”
Yonkerstimes.com and Rising Media Group Y have been reporting on the search for justice for the victims of Jimmy Collins since his arrest in 2023. The 16 lawsuits were filed under the New York Child Victims Act which opened a window in the statute of limitations allowing victims of past child sexual abuse to bring claims.
The lawsuits alleged that adult employees of the Village of Mt. Kisco, the Chappaqua Central School District and the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester County witnessed Collins’ inappropriate and abusive behavior with young boys including the victims and took no action to stop him or report him to law enforcement.
His 2023 arrest is a result of Collins paying for sex with an underage boy in the bathroom of the Chappaqua Library. Collins later admitted to New Castle Police to the illegal act with the 15-year old.
After being released on bail, Collins attempted to meet up with the boy again, communicating on Snapchat. He remained in jail until his recent sentence, which will keep him behind bars until he is 88.
Collins was the owner of “Jimmy’s” Bar in Katonah. The bar was recently sold and demolished.
The question that many with knowledge of Collins acts has is how was he able to stay out of the hands of law enforcement for decades? And how did he stay out of jail once the sex abuse lawsuits were filed, starting in 2020?
One of the lawsuits included the following: “More specifically, upon information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that Collins had been arrested and/or charged for sexual misconduct; however, certain individuals within the Bedford Hills Police Department (“BHPD”) assisted Collins in avoiding public scrutiny for these charges.”
This part of the Civil suit has never been answered. Who was it in the Bedford Police Department that aided Collins from facing justice for decades?
One of Collins’s co-workers, Ms. Carey, testified that she observed Collins and his behavior dating back to when she was 15-I6 years old working as a camp counselor. Carey also testified she observed Collins place his hands on multiple children when she was both a camp counselor and a lifeguard. Carey also witnessed Collins holding the bodies of various children close to him. On one specific occasion in 1980, she observed Collins put his hands inside and down the bathing suit of one boy in the pool.
Carey further testified that she told a supervisor about what she saw in detail and was told to mind her own business.
Read our prior stories on this case at https://yonkerstimes.com/after-50-years-of-sexually-abusing-young-boys-james-collins-of-westchester-finally-behind-bars/ and https://yonkerstimes.com/16-victims-of-jimmy-collins-settle-sex-abuse-cases/
Anyone with additional information on this case can contact us at news@yonkerstimes.com. There is more to this story that we believe should be brought to light.
One family member of a victim told us, “Jimmy Collins was the worst sexual abuser in the history of Westchester. He had protection, he had a bar, he had an inside track to jobs in the Katonah, Mt. Kisco and Chappaqua area that gave him direct access to kids. While I’m happy that he is going away for the rest of his life, I also want someone to uncover how all of this happened. I wish you well in your search Mr. Murphy.”
