Robert Lang served as a scout leader in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], associated with [[Troop 137]]. He worked alongside other leaders including [[Richard Halvorsen]] and [[Raymond Woodall]]. Boys from [[Troop 137]] participated in activities under the supervision of Lang and his colleagues, which later came under scrutiny due to illicit involvement. Lang's role in the troop positioned him in a position of authority over young boys, facilitating access that was exploited in criminal enterprises.[^1] ### Criminal Activities In September 1976, film reels containing child pornography were discovered by technicians in a malfunctioning commercial film processing machine in [[Dallas, Texas]], and traced back to [[Harry O'Cramer]] in New Orleans, revealing involvement of [[Troop 137]] boys and their scoutmasters, including Lang, in depicted sex acts. Lang participated in a boy prostitution ring that operated through the scout troop, producing and distributing explicit materials featuring minors. The operation connected to broader networks, including [[Father Bud's Boys Farm]] in Tennessee run by [[Cladius Vermilye]], where juveniles were drugged and coerced into orgies for filming and sponsorship by paying clients, with Lang's activities in New Orleans feeding into similar exploitation patterns involving [[John David Norman]]'s international contacts.[^1] ### Legal Outcome Lang was arrested in September 1976 alongside fellow scout leaders [[Richard Halvorsen]] and [[Raymond Woodall]] following the identification of participants on the child pornography films from the Dallas discovery. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney [[Harry Connick]] in New Orleans, who became implicated himself through testimony from one of his witnesses during court proceedings. The arrests exposed the depth of the child trafficking network tied to [[Troop 137]], leading to convictions for the involved parties in the boy prostitution and pornography ring.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar.