A dismissed investigator from the American SafeSport Center was arrested again, this time accused of rape

DENVER — A former police officer fired from his investigative job at the U.S. SafeSport Center for allegedly stealing money confiscated during a drug bust has been arrested again, this time charged with rape and sex trafficking.

Jason Krasley, a former police officer in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was arrested Friday and charged with rape and involuntary sexual servitude for crimes allegedly committed while on duty from 2011 to 2015, according to a press release from the district attorney’s office.

Krasley left the department in 2021 and started working at the SafeSport Center, which fired him last year shortly after learning he had been arrested for allegedly stealing $5,500 from a drug bust he helped run while he was on the force.

The new arrests raise the question of how Krasley was able to go through what center officials say is the robust vetting process used to hire people tasked with uncovering sensitive information about sexual abuse cases.

The Denver-based center was established in 2017 to address sexual abuse cases in Olympic sports, from the elite level to the grassroots. At the end of last year, the investigation team consisted of 36 people; he approached the police, where some detectives handle similar cases, to fill some of those positions.

“I am appalled that a former staff member was accused of such heinous acts during his previous role as a police officer,” SafeSport CEO Ju’Riese Colon said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. “We hold all staff to the highest standards because protecting athletes is our top priority.”

The AP learned about two cases Krasley worked on – one of which was assigned to another investigator after his arrest on theft charges. In the second case, the plaintiff asked whether her case could be reopened after her arrest and was told in an email from a SafeSport employee that “these cases are already under review prior to submissions and media attention.”

Colon said the center commissioned an independent audit of the cases Krasley handled.

“We are working with subject matter experts to determine what additional actions should be taken in light of the new allegations,” she said.

Krasley faces additional charges of kidnapping, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and intimidation of a witness, as well as misdemeanor criminal extortion.

Krasley’s attorney, James Burke, told lehighvalleylive.com that Krasley “completely denies the allegations.” Burke did not respond to a voicemail left at his office by the AP.

Krasley, 47, is also named in a whistleblower lawsuit filed last year by two Allentown officers who alleged widespread misconduct within the department.

Also arrested Friday and charged with rape and forced sexual servitude was Allentown officer Kevin Weaver, who was placed on administrative leave.