Justin Rieger, a teacher and Christian group leader from Taneytown, sexually assaulted more than half a dozen boys over the last several years — often in plain view of others — likely using money from investors and his position in the community to generate trust and gain unfettered access to teen boys, a Carroll County Sheriff’s Office report obtained by The Baltimore Sun shows.

The report details a pattern Rieger, who died by suicide last month at the age of 22, followed: Buy teen boys gifts, show interest in their lives and relationships with God, get a small group of boys alone in the home he shared with his parents and later, his wife, and encourage physical contact and nudity. Repeatedly, boys told authorities, he would expose himself to them or encourage them to expose themselves.

“It happens at every sleepover,” one boy told law enforcement.

Detectives with the sheriff’s office also found nearly a dozen videos of nude or semi-nude teen boys on Rieger’s phone.A substitute teacher at Francis Scott Key High School and a leader at Young Life, a local Christian organization, Rieger was well-known and well-liked in the Carroll County community. Many expressed shock and distress when his body was found Feb. 4 in a public park.

There was an outpouring of support and love for Rieger and his family online in the wake of his death. The Sun learned shortly after his death, however, that there were several criminal investigations into Rieger — one for financial fraud and another for sexual assault and child pornography. He had been suspended from duties at Young Life and at the high school in early January.

“He’s not the guy everyone thinks he is,” one teen told detectives in the 41-page report.

The Sun is avoiding linking any set of activities described in the report to one teen or another, and leaving out many details of the alleged abuse in order to preserve their privacy. The Sun does not name minor victims or victims of sexual assault unless they request to be identified.

While some boys found Rieger’s actions uncomfortable, distancing themselves, others told detectives it was just “boys being boys.”

A smaller group of boys came forward and detailed more aggressive sexual assaults by Rieger, in which they said he molested them or offered them money to show him their genitals, and threatened their reputations when they turned him down.

One told investigators he wanted to make sure this didn’t happen to anyone else.

The list of Rieger’s offenses detailed in the report includes child pornography, sexual offense in the fourth degree (sex act with a 14- or 15-year-old), sex abuse of a minor, indecent exposure and assault in the second degree.

Were Rieger alive, he would likely face related charges, according to the police. As a result of his death, however, Rieger cannot be prosecuted, and the sexual assault and child pornography case has now been closed, said Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Major Dave Stem.

“The entire situation involving this investigation is tragic,” Stem said. “The Taneytown area is a small, tight-knit community, and we hope that they will continue to offer their support to each other to move past this.

“Although Mr. Rieger’s unexpected death could have put an end to our pursuit of answers in this case, we felt that as an agency, we owed it to those involved to complete our investigation into this matter and ensure that we have identified all the victims affected by his actions.”

Terry Miller, who founded anti-teacher child sex abuse nonprofit SESAME Net (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and Exploitation) said the “boys should be viewed as heroes.”

“If they hadn’t had the bravery to speak up, more children would be getting hurt by this guy.” Miller said. “They’re going to need a lot of support from the community, their parents and psychological fields. He has thrown them into a chasm of coping for the rest of their lives.”

Rieger’s parents did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Rieger’s wife, Anne, responded through her lawyer, saying she “is shocked and heartbroken by the allegations which have recently been made public and prays for peace for all those impacted. She remains committed to cooperating with the efforts of law enforcement.

“As the investigation confirmed, Anne had no knowledge at any time of any actions or circumstances which gave rise to any allegations. At this time, Anne continues to work with authorities until all investigations are complete and, as such, we are unable to offer any further comment.”

Young Life

As a student at Francis Scott Key, where he later became a substitute teacher, Rieger participated in the Carroll County chapter of national religious organization Young Life.

A nonprofit focused on helping teens get closer to Christ, Young Life allows high school graduates to become leaders. After graduating, Rieger elected to do so.

According to the detective’s interview with Young Life Area Director Matt Michael, who reported the abuse to law enforcement after a teen contacted him in early January, Rieger supervised overnight trips and summer camp, as well as the Francis Scott Key High Young Life group.

It was through Young Life that he connected with the teens he preyed on, the report details.

Carroll County Young Life responded to requests for comment Tuesday with a statement.

“Carroll County Young Life is heartbroken and grieving alongside all who are affected by the behavior and choices detailed in the police report, which demonstrates the individual’s deliberate disregard for the policies Young Life has in place to ensure the safety and security of our young people, volunteers, and staff,” the statement reads.

Calling the information in the report “difficult to process,” the statement concludes that the organization is grateful to investigators for their care and professionalism.

“CCYL remains focused on caring for those impacted by this tragedy and supporting the community as it grieves. We encourage anyone with additional information to contact the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.”

According to Michael’s interview with detectives, Young Life trains all of its staff every year on how to travel with children, supervise them in overnight situations, and how to spot sexual misconduct and abuse. Leaders must sign a faith and conduct policy and complete a criminal background check. Furthermore, Michael said, Young Life leaders who supervise camps are told to never undress around students — a policy Rieger broke regularly, teens told detectives.

Per the report, Michael provided texts, links and screenshots of four separate policies, expectations and trainings Rieger signed off on.

It is not clear if Michael knew about the unsupervised sleepovers Rieger regularly held in his basement, or why they were allowed to continue.

‘So no one would think anything was going on’

Teens interviewed by Det. Valerie Mizansky repeatedly told her that Rieger acted appropriately during school hours. One told her that Rieger would go so far as to practically ignore him if he was teaching his class, “so no one would think anything was going on.”

But as soon as the last bell rang, they said, Rieger was texting them to hang out and offering to take them out to eat.

Rieger “always paid” for meals for the teens, the boys and their parents told Mizansky, over and over, adding that it never mattered how much the meal cost. One parent said he believed Rieger was rich because of how much Rieger spent on the boys.

Michael said Rieger often paid out of his own pocket for children to attend the Young Life camp and had pledged several thousand at a time at charity events meant to benefit Young Life — but that Rieger often had to be “chased down” for the donation.

Several boys said they believed Rieger was misusing the funds his investors gave him to treat them to food and other activities.

Michael added that he had been receiving “threatening calls” regarding funds Rieger had failed to return investors, but told law enforcement the calls had ceased.

During an investigation into Rieger’s financial schemes, The Sun found at least $23,000 in seven cryptocurrency accounts and wallets that Rieger directed his investors to deposit investment funds into. The Sun also found three different bank accounts Rieger directed investors to deposit money into.

Investors The Sun spoke with accused Rieger of running a widespread “Ponzi scheme,” in which he paid “returns” to early investors using funds from new investors, generating little — if any — actual income. The Sun’s investigation has thus far uncovered investors in six states who say they were defrauded.

SESAME’s Miller told The Sun that this fits a pattern of classic grooming — both the community and the teens.

Abusers “wear a mask of deception to groom the community, make them believe they are upstanding, law-abiding, devoted,” Miller said. “That’s how they hide amongst us.

“It sounds like this teacher definitely groomed these kids, enticed and lured them,” Miller said. “Taking them to dinner, giving them special favors, whatever he was doing to get them alone. Quite frankly, that’s criminal.”

Rieger also invited a small number of boys over for regular sleepovers, where much of the abuse took place, the report indicates.

At times, Rieger would resort to violence to get the boys to disrobe, the teens said. Several said he pinched them so hard they sometimes bled, covering their mouths so they couldn’t scream.

These sleepovers took place over years, starting at his parents’ home on Kenan Street and continuing at the home he shared with his wife, Anne Rieger, on Grant Street. His parents and wife remained in the home during the sleepovers, the boys said, but did not participate.

At least one teen told Mizansky that Rieger became much more “comfortable” with him once he moved out of his parents’ home and into the one he shared with his wife, becoming much more physical.

Touching, exposure, escalation

At times, the boys told authorities, Rieger would take them to a pond on Old Taneytown Road and would encourage them to jump in the lake nude or semi-clothed. He would reward them with meals at Sheetz if they did, they said.

Rieger would use the flashlight app on his phone to light the pond so they could see, they said, though when pressed, several said he could have been filming them.

At least one video Mizansky found on Rieger’s phone one was of a semi-nude teen Rieger was encouraging to jump in the pond.

Too, Rieger regularly exposed himself, boys interviewed by law enforcement said. Several shared that he had exposed himself to them during camp at Young Life; each said it took place at a different camp.

With a few boys, however, Rieger got more aggressive.

Several detailed one-on-one encounters in which Rieger sexually assaulted or threatened them.

One teen told Mizansky that Rieger showed up at his house out of the blue in 2021 or 2022. Rieger asked the teen invasive questions about his sex life, such as if he masturbated and what his “body count” was, the teen said.

Rieger told him “there’s a hole in my pants” and exposed himself, he said. Rieger then attempted to pull the teen’s pants down, he said. When the teen declined, Rieger told him “if he ever told anyone what happened, they are both going down for this and it would ruin their lives,” the report reads.

Several years later, in December of 2024, Rieger showed up at a teen’s home. Rieger offered the teen $250 to show him his penis, the teen told detectives. When the teen declined, Rieger said “there’s a hole in my pants” and exposed himself to the teen, the documents show.

This, Miller said, is much closer to trafficking behavior than simple abuse.

“Soliciting sexual acts by paying them [to show him their penises] is trafficking behavior,” Miller said. “The tactics used by pimps to enforce fraud and coercion are … the threats of people not believing them, of damaging their relationship with parents. It’s all threats of harm in some way that is used to silence their victims.”

If you have experienced or are experiencing sexual abuse, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. It is open 24 hours a day. Kate Cimini is the investigative editor at The Baltimore Sun. Contact her at 443-842-2621 or kcimini@baltsun.com.