Miami Standard (New York City, NY) – A teenager from New York has claimed that he was raped multiple times by his psychologist during his time at a youth detention facility, with staff at the center reportedly making jokes about the situation, according to a lawsuit he filed.

A 21-year-old individual, who remains unnamed, was just 17 when the purported sexual abuse commenced at Brookwood Youth Facility, a center catering to minors under 16 with convictions for violent felonies.

Maya Hayes, the psychologist in question, is confronting 65 criminal sex abuse charges following an indictment by a Columbia County grand jury in 2024. She is accused of abusing eight victims aged 16 to 18 between 2020 and 2022, as reported.

Hayes entered a not guilty plea and has been released while awaiting her trial, scheduled for July.

A complaint identifies 23 current and former staff members at Brookwood Youth Facility as defendants, claiming they did not take action to stop the alleged abuse from occurring.

The plaintiff alleges that he endured abuse from Hayes on 30 separate occasions before her termination in December 2022.

The complaint indicates that Hayes purportedly started mistreating the plaintiff in August 2021, just three months following his arrival at Brookwood Youth Facility.

The complaint alleges that Hayes placed pictures on the windows of the plaintiff’s door to obstruct the view into her office, enabling her to remain concealed while she allegedly assaulted him.

According to the complaint, Hayes “groomed and manipulated the plaintiff into trusting that what she was doing had some basis in legitimate care and treatment.” Then, she “subjected plaintiff to a course of predatory grooming, boundary violating, mental, emotional, and physical sexual abuse,” the complaint alleges.

The allegations also claim that staff members were cognizant of the situation and even made light of the purported abuse. The complaint reveals that Hayes was referred to as “Big Foot” at the facility, with staff members reportedly questioning the plaintiff, Are you doing things with Big Foot? We see you in there with Dr. Hayes doing nasty stuff.”

The individual bringing the case, with representation from Evan Brustein and Marion Conde da Silveira, is pursuing damages for significant emotional suffering, punitive compensation, and legal fees associated with the lawsuit.

Source: Psychologist Known as ‘Big Foot’ Allegedly Raped Teen Dozens of Times at N.Y. Youth Detention Center