---
category: Organized Crime
summary: Raymond Woodall served as a scout leader in New Orleans, Louisiana, associated
  with Troop 137.
tags:
- Person
- OrganizedCrime
---

Raymond Woodall served as a scout leader in [New Orleans](/places/new-orleans/), associated with [Troop 137](/organizations/troop-137/). He worked alongside other leaders including [Richard Halvorsen](/people/richard-halvorsen/) and Harry O'Cramer. Boys from [Troop 137](/organizations/troop-137/) participated in activities under the supervision of Woodall and his colleagues, which later came under scrutiny due to illicit involvement. Woodall'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](/places/dallas-texas/), and traced back to Harry O'Cramer in New Orleans, revealing involvement of [Troop 137](/organizations/troop-137/) boys and their scoutmasters, including Woodall, in depicted sex acts. Woodall 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](/organizations/father-buds-boys-farm/) in Tennessee run by [Cladius Vermilye](/people/cladius-vermilye/), where juveniles were drugged and coerced into orgies for filming and sponsorship by paying clients, with Woodall's activities in New Orleans feeding into similar exploitation patterns involving [John David Norman](/people/john-david-norman/)'s international contacts.[^1]

### Legal Outcome
Woodall was arrested in September 1976 alongside fellow scout leaders [Richard Halvorsen](/people/richard-halvorsen/) and [Robert Lang](/people/robert-lang/) following the identification of participants on the child pornography films from the Dallas discovery. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney [Harry Connick](/people/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](/organizations/troop-137/), leading to convictions for the involved parties in the boy prostitution and pornography ring.[^1]

[^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar.