When Trust Becomes a Weapon (Part 2): Demanding Accountability to Protect Children

In Part 2 of When Trust Becomes a Weapon: Protecting Children from Abuse, David Goldberg shifts the focus from awareness to accountability—examining how institutions, authority figures, and systems repeatedly fail the very children they claim to protect.

Using the historic Larry Nassar case as a central example, David breaks down how positions of trust, power, and control are weaponized against minors, and how warning signs were ignored by major institutions, governing bodies, and oversight agencies. He explains how hundreds of victims were silenced while complaints were dismissed, delayed, or buried—resulting in one of the largest abuse scandals in U.S. history.

This episode explores why policy changes and paperwork alone do not protect children, why boards and organizations often prioritize reputation and power over safety, and why parents and guardians must become the first and strongest line of defense. David explains how background checks fail, how predators exploit clean records, and why polygraph examinations, when conducted by experienced and certified examiners, can serve as a powerful preventive safeguard—not just an investigative tool after harm has already occurred.

Listeners will also hear a direct call to action: demand accountability, demand stronger safeguards, and demand real protection—not empty promises. David emphasizes the importance of listening to children without judgment, recognizing grooming behaviors, and taking immediate action when concerns arise.

This episode is intended to educate, empower, and protect. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter, listener discretion is advised.

The information presented in this podcast is based on the real-life experiences and professional expertise of David Goldberg, expert polygraph examiner with Executive Protection Group Polygraph Services, based in Virginia Beach.

If you are a parent, guardian, or caregiver seeking guidance on child protection, allegations, or accountability—or if you need professional insight into safeguarding minors—help is available.

📞 Call David at (757) 495-1301 to get started now.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to Inside the Polygraph. I'm your host, David Goldberg. Welcome back to part two of Child Sexual Abuse. In part one, we talked about the actor Timothy Busfield and his current charges in reference to sexual abuse, allegedly to two minor children. We talked about cases in my area. We talked about a case in Texas, and we talked about why.

Perpetrators and molesters do what they do to individuals and why they have a pattern. Now we're going to talk about why it's important to protect your children and what happened in a history making case in 2017. Larry Nasser, [00:01:00] larry Nasser was the doctor.

Doctor of the US Women's National Gymnastics Team from 1996 to 2014. He was a physician of the Michigan State University from 1997 to 2016, and he used his position of trust to sexually assault athletes. Again, I, what did I say? A position of trust. I said this in part one, and I'll repeat it now. These molesters use their position of power, control, and trust to manipulate, coerce and abuse these individuals, and that's exactly what Larry Nassar did.

He [00:02:00] pled guilty only because the overwhelming evidence and testimony. To him by the victims, in 2018, he received

life, multiple sentences to life in prison he had more than 500 victims. 500 ladies and gentlemen, think about that. 500 that is an astronomical number of victims that he abused. Not once, but multiple times. The way he did it was under the ruse, meaning the act of being a physician in checking his patients to team athletes in giving them pressure points, checking their muscles, and ultimately sexually abusing [00:03:00] them.

You heard when they testified either in congress or in court or outside of the courtroom, ~and here's what ultimately came about. Are you sure you wanna name the victim? It's already out there. Okay. It's already out there. I didn't know if they, it's, I didn't know if that would make them uncomfortable. They to testify and they already came out.~

~Alright, that's fine. Here we go. I'm sure that the victims, that's fine. I, I won't say it. Okay, say it. Alright. Here, let's repeat. I, I'll say so many victims, and I'm not gonna name 'em because I, they don't have to be rehashed their names out in public. They know who they are and you can read about them. Okay.~

And they're strong women, strong, but they were minors at the time. Ultimately what these women did, not only did they testify and stand in front of their perpetrator and molester, but they wanted change. And this is what the change came about. ~Personally,~ personally, I think it's bullshit because ultimately.

I think they may have put parameters and maybe some stronger rules in place that it may not happen on a scale of this nature in the future. But again, I bet you the physicians on these gymnastic teams, the US Olympic teams, they're not taking polygraphs and they still need to. [00:04:00] But this is what happened.

In reference to the final outcome beside Nassar spending the rest of his life in prison, the scandal exposed the systematic coverup and negligence of the major institutions of the US gymnastics, the Michigan State University and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees. They ignored warning signs and complaint.

Obviously they paid over a billion dollars in legal fees and paid the survivors millions. It also proved that the FBI failed in the investigations when it first came about, and it also showed that they had. No accountability in reference to the dozens [00:05:00] of officials that were responsible for these minors and the protection of them.

It put a legislation in for, it's called The Protecting of Young Victims for Sexual Abuse and Safe Support Authorization Act of 2017, which was passed, and it's supposed to create a center for SafeSport to handle abuse allegations. Which only means that if something happens and it's reported, they're supposed to investigate it on a more efficient manner.

However, doesn't mean that the doctors, the individuals that are coaches, the individuals that are responsible for these minors that are on the Olympic teams, the females that will be tested and coached. Ultimately checked by a physician or a physician's assistant or whomever, will have not only gotten a background [00:06:00] check, which I told you what that means, but gotten a polygraph test.

The answer is no, and they should. It is your responsibility as a parent and a grandparent and as a guardian of your child. To push that to organizations, to government agencies and demand, not just change in a policy. A policy is a piece of paper. I can write anything I want on a piece of paper, submit it, and then what happens.

And you've seen it all and seen it on tv. A board gets together and it's so hard. And I, I've been on boards, it's, it's almost impossible to get every single person to agree on something. But when it does happen, it has to benefit everyone on that board just about, and they could care less about the minions that are in the audience.

So putting in a piece of paper that says, oh, we want [00:07:00] stronger, stringent rules for X, Y, and Z before our child does this. And then they all talk about it and they hear your opinions and hear your voices. But in reality, if , some of those board members don't have any children, do they really care? No. You know what they care about is the position that they're sitting on in that board because it's power and control that they have over you.

So demand it. Demand, and if you don't like it, like everyone says, vote 'em out, because that's how they get in that position by voting. If you don't like what they do, vote these individuals out of power. And if you don't like the businesses that they do something, don't spend your hard earned money at these places.

If your child is being abused verbally, physically, or whatever. Take your child out. Take your hard-earned money and do whatever you have to do [00:08:00] and talk to other parents. Get them out because ultimately they want your money, and they'll do whatever it takes to earn that. Get 'em away from it. That's how you hurt these businesses, corporations, and boards to do what you want.

Demand polygraphs. See what happens. Make sure that the exams are done by expert examiners that won't make mistakes. That, ladies and gentlemen, that is the only way change will be made. Some rules, yep, they work, but a piece of paper doesn't really protect a child. Will a polygraph test protect a man who has had thoughts and wants and desires to molest a child? You damn right it will because if that polygraph finds that man wants to do it. That man's [00:09:00] not going to be near your child or any other child because it'll be documented.

That is the power of polygraph

the men and women throughout this country who have dedicated their lives in protecting children. Law enforcement should be praised like there's no tomorrow because they have a job that is so difficult, yet they dedicate their lives in doing it. They work hard, long hours and diligently to gain facts.

Interview these children who are alleged to have been abused. They gather proper evidence to prosecute, and they hear the most sick stories that most people would never want to [00:10:00] sit in a room and listen to. Those men and women, both local, state and federal agencies who dedicate their lives should be thanked.

Because they protect your children when something heinous happens. And now it's your job to be the first line. And maybe you can be a first responder if you want, if that's what you wanna be called, but it's your job to protect them so it doesn't happen. So they don't have to be in front of those great men and women in law enforcement protect them first and foremost.

And how you do that is. Be an open voice for them and listen and observe what your children are saying and talk to them about everything. Good Touch, bad touch boundaries. All kinds of things and let them feel so comfortable that they can [00:11:00] come in front of you and to you and talk to you without, this is the caveat, without being judged, and don't put things in their voice, in their thoughts.

Let them tell you because if they tell you something. You don't want to be called out by, you've forced them. You've coached them. You, you have manipulated the story that when it does happen to go to law enforcement, you're accused of that, and ultimately the case gets dropped and they become victims. I can't tell you enough as a polygraph examiner, how many adults have come to me when they were victims.

As minors and their parents, their guardians never believed their stories because of the situation they were in. Mom was dating a boyfriend and he was the [00:12:00] provider and their. Daughter came up to mom told them what the boyfriend was doing. Mom didn't wanna believe it because if mom believed it, she'd have to kick out the boyfriend or they may have become homeless.

So instead they brushed it under the carpet and let it alone. Yet that little girl became a victim. And you know what happened? That little girl got older and that little girl kept that story and was, it was bothering her all along. And when she got older. She needed closure. Like everyone in this world needs closure for something that has troubled them, and that girl decides it's time to either do several things, one, closure for her to move on.

Two, maybe confront the molester. Be able to confront mom who didn't believe her and prove it was really happening. And when they come to me, , [00:13:00] I can tell you this right now. The integrity that I give them back when they prove, they prove they're telling the truth, they prove they were absolute victim

When they were a child, now they're an adult. You would be surprised what it does to them that they have now gotten that off their chest and they're able to move forward now in life. And what happened to them does not defined who they are. It just makes them stronger that now if they're a mother of their own children, they're gonna be able to protect them, so it doesn't happen to them.

That's the benefit, that's the strength of a polygraph with someone as certifiable, strong as myself, that ladies and gentlemen, is what a victim does when they get older. So [00:14:00] as a parent and as a guardian, if your child comes to you, don't blow it off because you're victimizing them just as much. Listen to them.

Listen to what they have to say and take 'em to someone, a doctor. A law enforcement agency, let them interview and they will make a decision and a determination if the story is real legitimate and is there enough to proceed. Even take 'em to Child Protective services. Money is not everything and having the molester in the house just because they are the breadwinner.

Is not worth you having your child be a victim because you don't wanna believe them, but you would rather have your boyfriend or whatever because they're paying the bills that's wrong of you. Believe in your child, [00:15:00] listen to your child. Be that advocate and that voice for them wherever they are. That is what a very strong, independent parent is protecting their child.

If you need me, you know how to reach me. If you like what I put out. Like, comment, and subscribe, and I wish all the victims of any abuse to get closure. Stand up for yourself and get your needed answers. Take a polygraph test, prove you were, and fight for your innocence. Have a great day.