A Deltona man faces a maximum of life in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of sexually abusing an autistic child, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook post on Thursday, March 5.
According to the sheriff’s office social media post, Bernard Grover, 63, is the founder and executive director of Special Needs Advocacy Program, a Sanford nonprofit.
A U.S. Middle District jury in Orlando found Grover guilty of coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. He will be sentenced on May 28, federal court officials said.
Deltona man’s case prosecuted by Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative
It was learned in court testimony that through the Special Needs Advocacy Program or SNAP, Grover met an autistic child and coerced and enticed the minor to engage in sexual activity, the sheriff’s office Facebook post stated.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, and the Sanford Police Department, the sheriff’s office said.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, the social media post highlighted.
Project Safe Childhood works with federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims, the sheriff’s office said.