FBI alleges Susanville man sexually abused more than a dozen boys in Susanville and ‘all over the world’
Correction:
Brad Reger is not and never has been the pastor at the Church of the Nazarene in Susanville. Jeff Moorish, a board member and youth leader at the church, said Reger was involved in church work and missions, but he never was a pastor at the church and he never held any leadership position there. Moorish said his concern is for the victims and their families. The paragraph identifying Reger as the pastor should have read, “In the one charge filed against Reger at this time, he allegedly engaged in illicit sexual conduct in October and November 2009 with Minor Victim No. 3 in the Philippines. This victim met Reger in 2008 when he traveled with the pastor of the Susanville church to a foreign nation.” We also have corrected the headline. Lassen News regrets the error.
According to an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Russell Quinola in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Bradley Earl Reger, a licensed nurse practitioner who owned and operated several ambulance and flight ambulance services in Northeastern California and Northern Nevada (including Mountain Lifeflight, Lassen Ambulance Service, Mountain EMS, Inc. and Mountain Lifeflight of Nevada for more than three decades) “sexually abused more than a dozen male patients between the ages of 12 and 22 under the guise of conducting purported medical examinations at his medical clinic in Susanville and in hotel rooms and camp sites all over the world. For years, up to and including at least 2020, Reger enticed and induced multiple victims to travel out of California on camping trips or church affiliated missions, where he would conduct unlawful sexual abuse in the guise of medical treatment. Additionally, from at least in or about 2009, up to and including in or about 2018, Reger enticed and induced victims to travel in interstate and foreign commerce to his medical offices in Susanville, California, a city within the Eastern District of California, with a significant or motivating purpose of subjecting them to unlawful sexual abuse … Since at least 1986, Reger has been heavily involved in various Christian schools, summer camps, youth groups and church missions. He has held positions as a teacher, camp counselor, wrestling coach, church deacon, youth group leader, board member of various school boards and owner of affiliated non-profit organizations.”
According to the affidavit, the general counsel for the Church of the Nazarene in Kansas reported Reger’s alleged sexual abuse to Lassen County Child Protective Services and the Board of Registered Nursing on Oct. 18, 2022. CPS forwarded the allegations to the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, and the LCSO contacted the FBI about Nov. 1, 2022, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into the national and international criminal allegations. By mid-November the FBI, Department of Consumer Affairs and HSI began a “joint investigation” “concerning allegations of sexual abuse of minors and adults.”
Church investigation
According to the affidavit, the church began an internal investigation in June 2022 and identified 10 to 15 minor victims and several adult victims — “under the guise of medical treatment or examination.” The victims alleged they were abused “during or in connection with interstate or international travel.” Additional victims had not been identified because the church’s investigation did not include “other religious affiliated organizations such as schools, summer camps and clinics” where Reger had worked as a “medical professional, teacher or counselor.”
Susanville Police Department investigation
According to the affidavit, “In mid-November of 2022, the Joint Investigation discovered that the Susanville Police Department initiated criminal investigations of Reger in 2003, 2006 and 2007 based on multiple independent allegations of sexual abuse of minors … for abusing approximately 12 minor boys while he was in a position of trust, such as a teacher, wrestling coach, employer or camp counselor.”
None of these investigations resulted in criminal charges against Reger.
“The Joint Investigation requested and received copies of the known SPD reports and all known reports and recordings from the (church’s) Fact Finding Ministry investigation. The Joint Investigation reinterviewed approximately eight of the victims identified by FFM and interviewed law enforcement officers from the 2006 Susanville investigation. These interviews revealed a consistent pattern of behavior that Reger used to identify and groom his victims and detailed reoccurring methods that he used to sexually abuse them under the guise of legitimate medical treatment.”
The SPD and the LCSO also investigated Reger in 1986 on allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, however, investigators could not locate a written police report on this incident.
In the one charge filed against Reger at this time, he allegedly engaged in illicit sexual conduct in October and November 2009 with Minor Victim No. 3 in the Philippines. This victim met Reger in 2008 when he served as the pastor of the Susanville church.
Reger faces a maximum of up to 30 years in prison or a fine of up to $250,000 or both fine and imprisonment and supervised release of at least five years up to life.
Prosecutors ask for detention pending trial
According to the court documents, prosecutors asked the court to keep Reger in custody pending trial.
According to a motion for detention, “As explained below and in the criminal complaint, defendant has a long history of sexually abusing minor victims. The United States respectfully requests that this Court order him detained pending trial. Because the defendant is facing significant time in prison, has demonstrated a long-standing pattern and history of sexual offenses committed against minors (both in the United States and abroad), has the means to live comfortably abroad, and has traveled abroad extensively for many years, there are no conditions or combination of conditions that will reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant or the safety of the community … For more than a decade, the defendant sexually abused more than a dozen teenage boys while in a position of trust, as a licensed nurse practitioner and as a leader of missionary trips associated with his church. Using his status as a nurse practitioner and church leader, he groomed vulnerable victims with jobs, gifts, money and trips. He conducted countless sexually abusive physical ‘exams’ of these boys in his clinic in Susanville, in hotel rooms across the United States and in other countries, and even inside of vehicles. He would entice his victims to travel with him to other states and other countries by promising exciting trips involving religious service, outdoor adventure, and often paying for those trips. Those trips provided defendant with the opportunity to repeatedly touch the naked genitals of his victims for his own sexual pleasure. There are likely many more victims that will be confirmed following the defendant’s arrest.”
According to the investigators, Reger traveled internationally approximately 235 times between 2004 and 2023 to Dominica, Ukraine, Poland, Spain, Ireland, U.K., Philippines, South Korea, Czech Republic, Japan, Qatar, Iceland, Israel, France, Germany, UAE, Jordan, the Netherlands, Ghana, Hong Kong, Finland, Senegal, Mexico, Haiti, China, Canada, Hungary, Singapore, Trinidad, Tobago, Belize and Kenya.
“The joint investigation revealed numerous identified victims and potential victims have accompanied Reger on international trips. HSI and FBI have conducted several interviews of victims in which they describe abuse occurring overseas in countries such as Poland, Ukraine and the Philippines. Additionally, the victims described these international trips as Missiontrips, ‘Work and Witness’ trips, and/or affiliated with the Susanville Church of the Nazarene.”
According to a statement from the FBI, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation Sacramento Division and Homeland Security Investigations seek to identify potential victims of Bradley Reger, who was arrested July 6, 2023, for alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c), engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places … If you believe that you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized by Bradley Reger at any time, in the United States or abroad, or have information relevant to this investigation,” a form is available at forms.fbi.gov or you may call the Sacramento FBI Office at (916) 746-7000. Additionally, if you know of someone else who may have been victimized by Bradley Reger, encourage them to contact the FBI.
Reger’s next court appearance is set for Wednesday, July 12 in Sacramento.
