N.J. state investigation declares ‘substantiated findings’ after sexual abuse allegations by a former Camden student

When Salema Robinson’s civil sexual abuse lawsuit against her former middle school teacher started making headlines in January, it also triggered a state investigation.

So, almost 10 months later — after a jury found that Wasim Muhammad had not sexually abused Robinson but had “recklessly or intentionally committed extreme and outrageous conduct” as her teacher at Cooper B. Hatch Middle School in Camden, and after a $1.6 million jury award was increased to $2 million under a settlement between Robinson, Muhammad, and the district — Robinson got official word of the results.

The October letter addressed to Robinson said the Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit in New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families determined “the allegation of sexual abuse/risk of sexual abuse is substantiated.”

Muhammad, a Muslim minister and community activist who runs a private school and day care in Camden, has denied any wrongdoing and accepted no liability in the settlement with Robinson.

For Robinson, who has become an advocate for sexual assault victims, the state findings brought another measure of closure, she said. She plans to push for schools to implement better procedures for teachers to report suspected abuse.

“I felt validated,” Robinson, now 45, said in a recent interview. “They finally were able to get to the truth. It’s not just something I made up.”

Muhammad did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Muhammad was not identified by name in Robinson’s Oct. 7 letter, but his attorney, Troy Archie, confirmed he received a letter from the Department of Children and Families. Archie said the state “was fed information” rejected by the jury on sexual assault charges. He called the probe 30 years “too late.” A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 before an administrative law judge, he said, to appeal the findings.

“I plan to vigorously defend Mr. Muhammad and seek a reversal of this one-sided decision that ignored evidence as there was none!” Archie said in a text message.

New Jersey law requires people to be placed on the Child Abuse Registry immediately upon a substantiated finding, and their name remains on the registry while the appeal process is pending, according to Jessica Schidlow, legal director with Child USA in Philadelphia, a national nonprofit that seeks to protect children from abuse and neglect. Archie did not respond to questions to confirm whether Muhammad’s name was on the registry.

Camden School Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs, who called for Muhammad to step down as president of the Camden school district’s advisory board amid a mounting public outcry, was notified of the findings. Sheena Yera, a district spokesperson, declined to comment.

» READ MORE: Who is Wasim Muhammad, Camden’s school board president accused of sexually abusing a student?

Robinson alleged in the 2021 lawsuit that she was sexually abused for years by Muhammad, then known as Donnie Walker, starting when she was an eighth grader. She alleged he groomed her for the abuse by singling her out for special attention, and maintained a relationship, even after she moved with her family to the South.

During the trial, Muhammad told the jury that he began a relationship with his former student only after she turned 18 when they married under his Islamic faith, which Robinson denied.

The Inquirer published its first story about the lawsuit on Jan. 14. The child abuse investigation unit received the matter to investigate on Jan. 22, according to the letter, which was obtained by The Inquirer. The unit investigates child abuse and neglect allegations in out-of-home settings such as schools, foster homes, residential centers, and detention centers.

The two-page letter Robinson received, signed by Ann Dailey, the unit’s assistant director, did not provide specifics on the findings, which experts say is common. The report said the findings covered sexual abuse concerning Robinson “on multiple dates in 1992-1994.” Robinson would have been between 13 and 15.

Robinson’s attorney, Jeffrey P. Fritz, said the findings by an independent body “further corroborate the allegations of my client that she was a victim of Wasim Muhammad. Given these findings, he should not be involved in any way in educating children.”

Muhammad oversees a Muslim school, Muhammad University of Islam School No. 20, in the city’s Parkside neighborhood. The independent K-12 school he started in 2011 is among only a few in the region affiliated with the Nation of Islam, and enrolls a dozen or so students, many of whom are among Muhammad’s 17 children. Muhammad said he has multiple wives in his Muslim faith, many of whom testified to defend him during his trial.

» READ MORE: In his sex abuse trial, Wasim Muhammad testified that four of his six wives were 18 when he met them

Muhammad also operates a nearby day-care center and heads a temple.

Schidlow said the state findings were significant because it means the unit found “a preponderance of credible evidence” that abuse occurred. The abuse unit must investigate such allegations, even three decades later, she said. She also noted the agency process focuses on protecting children rather than adjudicating liability. Even if a civil court doesn’t find sufficient evidence to impose liability, the agency may find credible evidence of abuse under child welfare laws, she said.

“They had a duty to investigate,” said Schidlow, a child welfare advocate and former public defender who represented at-risk youth.

In such investigations, the unit typically would interview the accuser and any witnesses to confirm the allegations, Schidlow said. Robinson said investigators interviewed her, along with family members and her former classmates at Hatch. Robinson alleged as part of her trial testimony that district employees, including a principal and a teacher, who knew about the abuse failed to stop it.

» READ MORE: The 16 students at this tiny Muslim school in Camden learn everything from literature and religion to music and chess

Investigators would also review any court documents and school records, Schidlow said. The unit can reach four possible determinations: substantiated, established, not established, and unfounded. A substantiated finding is the only determination that gets disclosed upon a registry check.

Although the registry is not open to the public, schools and agencies that employ people to work with children and vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, are required to check the abuse registry when hiring or renewing a license, according to Schidlow. The employer cannot hire anyone on the registry and may terminate anyone whose name appears on the list after hiring, she said.

The law applies to private and public schools, Schidlow said. Others subject to the registry regulations include youth organizations, day-care centers, and foster-care facilities, she said.

» READ MORE: Woman in civil sex assault case against Camden school board president comes forward: ‘I want people to see my face’

Robinson filed her lawsuit as Jane Doe under the New Jersey Child Victims Act, a state law passed in 2019 that allows child sex abuse victims to sue their abusers until they turn 55. She disclosed her name after the case was settled.