NJ Man Tried To Lure Mass Shooting Survivors For Sex: Suit

A man employed at a South Jersey law firm who portrayed himself as an attorney is accused of using the vulnerable psyche of two shooting survivors to try to manipulate them into a sexual relationship. He also intended to use their experience to recruit other victims, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Camden County.

Javier Nava and Brian Nunez filed the suit against John Groff and the Voorhees-based Law Offices of Conrad Benedetto on Sept. 14. Nava and Nunez survived the June 12, 2016, shooting at the Pulse Night Club that killed 49 people and wounded 58 others. Groff is an office manager at the firm.

The law firm was named in the suit because it continued to employ Groff despite knowledge of this and a similar lawsuit that dates back to 2015, according to the suit.

Neither Groff nor a representative from the law firm were available for comment to Patch Tuesday morning. Both Groff and the law firm denied the allegations in separate statements to nj.com.

Groff, an attorney with the law firm, met with Nava and Nunez in person immediately after the shooting to tell them they had “viable legal causes of action based on their presence at Pulse Nightclub during the Pulse Shooting,” according to the suit.

Groff also established a Facebook group for survivors to “help each other through our healing process, rather it be a few days or a lifetime.” This gave him access to other vulnerable victims, according to the lawsuit.

Groff’s focus widened beyond the Florida shooting after the Oct. 1, 2017 shooting at the Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. He asked Nava and Nunez, who were both still coping with their own experience, to come with him to Nevada and California to speak with other shooting victims.

Nava and Nunez thought the trip, in which Groff promised to cover all expenses for them, would be therapeutic. However, they claim they quickly learned they were being used when Groff began treating them like employees, telling them to “do your job and get other people to sign up.”

Nunez even said Groff pressured him to do a promotional video, essentially exploiting his victim story to recruit additional clients. Nunez eventually agreed to do the video, even though it made him feel uncomfortable.

The case had taken on another element, as Groff had begun texting Nava and Nunez shortly after the two agreed to be represented by the law firm. These texts weren’t related to the case, though; rather, Groff was attempting to establish a personal relationship with the two men. Nava and Nunez also claim they heard nothing about their respective cases for months.

In Nevada and California, Nunez began flirting with and sexually harassing both men. First, he focused on Nunez in Nevada. When Nunez denied Groff’s advances, he said Groff threatened to stop paying for Nunez’s lodging, transportation, and food on the trip.

Nava said he was unaware of any of this until the group made its way to California, where Groff turned his attention to Nava. Nava also rejected Groff, but the two were forced to stay with the attorney because they had no money of their own.

As the two men continued to deny Groff’s advances, he became more hostile toward them. They claim he drove “like a madman” through California, nearly causing several accidents and causing both of them to hit their heads on the car roof. He also stopped giving them money for food.

He began sending them sexually explicit text messages and pornographic images, including images of two men having sex, according to the lawsuit. In some images, one of the men was Groff. He also talked about getting Nunez drunk, so he could take advantage of him sexually.

“I go over it while you’re in my room and I’m getting you drunk,” Groff said in one text message.
Nunez responded by telling Groff to “stop it” and “…keep it professional.”

The harassment continued, with Groff writing to Nava, “Come on pa, just once, between us. Confidential just want to satisfy both of us.” Nava continued to tell Groff they were just friends and urged him to keep it professional. Numerous text messages of this nature are included in the lawsuit.

He then began collecting private information on both men to use as sexual blackmail. The lawsuit claims Groff has a documented history of criminal conduct, fraudulent behavior, unlawful intimidation, sexual harassment and retaliation of which Benedetto Firm and Benedetto are well-aware.

Javier Carrasquillo filed a similar lawsuit against the law firm in 2015. In that case, Carrasquillo alleged that Groff offered legal services to he and his girlfriend if they engaged in a sexual relationship with him. Sexually charged text messages were also involved in that case.

According to that lawsuit:

“Mr. Groff is well-known to be a convicted felon with at least 8 criminal convictions, including but not limited to theft by illegal retention (6 counts) (Oct. 1992), followed by probation violation and termination in 1997; one conviction for issuing/passing a bad check over $200 (Sept. 1995); two additional convictions for issuing/passing bad check (Oct. 1995), followed by probation violation and termination in 1997; a CDS related offense (Oct. 1995), followed by probation violation and termination in 1997; thefy by deception in Pennsylvania (Aug. 1996); and; theft by deception in New Jersey (2 counts) (Nov. 1997). Mr. Groff’s criminal history also includes 5 disorderly persons offenses: intimidation (1993); theft by deception (1994); theft of services (1994); bad check (no account) (1995); and; harassment (1998)…”

Groff is also accused of threatening to negatively affect the case of another Pulse Shooting client, Orlando Torrez, to prevent him from reporting Groff’s aforementioned sexual harassment to the media. The law firm itself is accused of not acting on Groff’s actions, despite the fact that they knew about them. They are accused of negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision.

“This lawsuit carries the hope that it will inspire and give strength to those victims who could not, or do not, speak of their own experiences, to account for the dreams that were crushed long ago never to return, due to the retribution against those who spoke up,” according to the lawsuit.

“Too often those with little or no voice or power have their dreams held hostage by the people who abuse their position to manipulate, rape and assault those they deem weak, helpless and without a real voice. They are told to stay silent, or do exactly as told, or their career will suffer or never even get started. Apologies are insufficient in these circumstances because the harm that is done cannot simply be cured with an apology by those who apologize simply because they have been caught. Those who abuse their power such as Defendant Groff, and those who enable such individuals like Benedetto Firm and Benedetto, must be held accountable. The time is now, and Plaintiffs bring this action to do their part.”

The attached image is of two cops outside the Pulse Night Club the morning after the 2016 shooting. Photo credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images