The report alleged the group subjected members to coercive control and that some teenage girls and young women were sexually exploited.
Brendan Carr , chair of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spent nearly a decade in the Washington-area Midtown Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group, which former members have described as cult-like, according to the Guardian.
The Guardian noted that these allegations echo concerns raised nearly two decades ago. Midtown also denied condoning underage sex in a statement issued in 2007.
A 2007 Newsweek report described Midtown as “cultlike,” while a Washington Post investigation reported allegations that older men had sexual relationships with teenage girls. Police at the time said they had found insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges, although they acknowledged concerns surrounding the group’s practices.
Several former Midtown members interviewed by the Guardian also defended Carr personally. Because she was being kept on a restrictive diet, she alleged he once secretly gave her French fries.
One former member described him as “a victim” of Midtown rather than a perpetrator. Another former member who dated Carr recalled him as “a safe person” who showed kindness in an environment she described as controlling.
