Midwest Academy

Lawsuits

• State of Iowa v. Benjamin G. Trane Ruling issued | Iowa District Court for Lee (South) County; Iowa Supreme Court

  Outcome: Convicted December 22, 2017 of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist (pattern, practice or scheme), and child endangerment. Sentenced May 10, 2018 to 9 years in prison. Convictions affirmed by the Iowa Supreme Court (State v. Trane, 934 N.W.2d 447 (Iowa 2019); No. 21-1211, January 6, 2023). Trane reported to the Lee County jail to begin his sentence in March 2023. In postconviction proceedings the Iowa Supreme Court (No. 23-1928, January 31, 2025) reversed the grant of a new trial on the child endangerment count.

  Benjamin G. Trane opened Midwest Academy in Keokuk, Iowa in 2003 and ran it until it closed in 2016 after state and federal agents searched the school. In 2015 a female student reported that he sexually abused her, and two male students reported physical abuse; the State of Iowa charged Trane with third-degree sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, and child endangerment. At a jury trial in Keokuk in December 2017, a child protection worker testified that the Iowa Department of Human Services and the FBI had received a report in March 2015 that students were held in isolation rooms with human waste, and agents described searches of the school on January 28, February 1 and February 11, 2016. On December 22, 2017 the jury convicted Trane of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, a pattern, practice or scheme to engage in sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, and child endangerment. He was sentenced on May 10, 2018 to nine years in prison, ten years of supervised release and sex offender registration. His appeals failed: the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed the convictions in 2019 subject to a rape shield hearing, affirmed again on January 6, 2023, and on January 31, 2025 reversed a lower court's grant of a new trial on the child endangerment count.

• Wood, et al. v. World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, Inc., et al. Unknown | Fifth Judicial District Court, Washington County, Utah | 120500380 Names this facility

  William Chase Wood and several hundred other former students and their parents sued the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), founder Robert Lichfield, his business partners and dozens of affiliated programs, marketing and billing companies in Utah's Fifth Judicial District Court in Washington County. The document on file is the plaintiffs' 228-page first amended complaint, submitted July 24, 2013, which refers to claim sheets filed in the case on December 17, 2012 in opposition to a WWASPS motion to dismiss. It alleges that students placed at WWASPS programs in Utah, other states, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Samoa and the Czech Republic from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s were beaten, restrained, locked in isolation and small boxes or cages, denied food and medical care, sexually abused and forced to work without pay. It alleges the programs operated as a single enterprise that deceived parents and concealed the abuse, and brings negligence, fraud, contract, conspiracy and emotional distress claims. The document does not show how the case ended.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

Incidents on record

1. April 2015 Abuse

   A former student alleged that boys who ran away in April 2015 were held in concrete isolation rooms for at least three weeks each.source

2. 2016 Criminal charge

   Ben Trane was charged with sexual assault of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor by a counselor and child endangerment, found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 9 years in prison.source

3. 2016 Legislation

   The Iowa Senate voted in 2016 for SF 2235 to certify and oversee children's residential facilities like Midwest Academy; the House did not take it up.source

4. January 2016 Investigation

   Iowa DHS conducted 28 child abuse assessments of students at the academy in late January 2016.source

5. January 2016 Lawsuit

   A former employee sued claiming she was fired in December 2015 for reporting a student's alleged sexual abuse to DHS.source

6. January 2016 License action

   Midwest Academy had been applying for foster care facility licenses for its Keokuk and Montrose locations when the criminal probe began; no site visits had occurred and the application was incomplete.source

7. January 2016 Sexual abuse

   A former 17-year-old student alleged she was sexually abused by owner-director Ben Trane; investigators also examined fraud and child endangerment in its use of isolation rooms.source

8. January 28, 2016 Investigation

   On January 28, 2016 Iowa DCI, the FBI and others served two search warrants at the Keokuk campus and the Midwest Treatment Center in Montrose over an alleged sexual abuse of a student by a staff member.source

9. February 2016 Closure order

   In February 2016 Midwest Academy was raided and closed by authorities after an allegation of sex abuse against director Ben Trane.source

10. February 2016 Abuse

    Six former students told the AP in February 2016 that the academy routinely kept students in small concrete isolation boxes for days or weeks, with piped-in noise, until they sat in a set posture for 24 hours.source

11. February 2016 Incident

    Lee County sheriff records showed five reports of sexual offenses at the academy over three years and 73 other incidents including runaways, assaults and suicide attempts.source

12. February 2016 Investigation

    DHS reviewed 19 founded abuse cases at the academy.source

13. February 2016 Restraint

    Students told the Des Moines Register of frequent isolation and restraint at the academy.source

14. March 2016 Lawsuit

    In March 2016 six former students and several parents sued the academy and Ben Trane alleging isolation boxes, sexual harassment and abuse, inadequate medical care and filthy conditions.source

15. May 2017 Lawsuit

    In May 2017 a judge awarded $748,800 by default to a former employee who said she was fired for reporting a student's abuse.source

16. September 2017 Criminal charge

    In September 2017 former owner Benjamin Trane was charged with third-degree sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a counselor and child endangerment after a 19-month investigation; he pleaded not guilty.source

17. September 2017 Sexual abuse

    Prosecutors alleged Trane coerced a student into a sexual relationship and had girls undress in "body image therapy" sessions.source

18. November 2017 Lawsuit

    In November 2017 an Iowa judge granted a default judgment to parents and former students who sued the academy over isolation boxes and abuse; damages were to be set later.source

19. December 2017 Abuse

    At trial prosecutors said two boys aged 12 and 13 spent 133 of 210 and 163 of 233 days in isolation rooms and lost weight dramatically.source

20. December 2017 Criminal charge

    In December 2017 a jury found Benjamin Trane guilty of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a child by a counselor and child endangerment; he was acquitted of third-degree sexual abuse.source

News coverage

• 

  WGEM Mar 6, 2023 Arrest

  Former Midwest Academy owner surrenders to Lee County Sheriff

  Former Midwest Academy owner Benjamin Trane surrendered to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to begin serving a nine-year prison sentence following his 2017 conviction on counts of sexual assault, sexual exploitation by a counselor, and child endangerment. His final appeal was rejected by the Iowa State Supreme Court in January 2023.

• 

  Secret Prisons for Teens Mar 14, 2016 Expose

  Investigation into death at Elan School in Maine

  An investigative blog post examines the historical operations and lack of regulatory oversight at the closed Elan School in Maine. The article discusses allegations of systemic violence, fraudulent therapeutic practices, and the 1982 death of a resident, Philip Williams Jr., within the facility's peer-to-peer restraint and conflict structures.

• 

  Reason Jun 27, 2007 Expose

  Mitt Romney's Campaign Connections to Abusive Adolescent Treatment Programs

  The article examines the connections between presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign fundraisers and residential treatment programs facing widespread allegations of abuse. Founders Robert Lichfield of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and Mel Sembler of Straight Inc. faced numerous lawsuits and investigations regarding allegations of physical restraint, food and sleep deprivation, and psychological abuse.

• 

  WTAD Arrest

  CONVICTED KEOKUK SCHOOL OWNER A NO-SHOW TO PRISON

  Ben Trane, former owner of the Midwest Academy boarding school in Keokuk, Iowa, was convicted in 2017 on charges of sexual assault, sexual exploitation by a counselor, and child endangerment. He was scheduled to report to the Lee County Correctional Center to begin a nine‑year sentence but did not appear as required. The school was permanently closed following a 2016 raid by state and federal authorities after allegations were made by a student.

Staff

Administration

• Benjamin Trane

  Former Founder, Owner, Presidentsource

• Debbie Chapman

  Former President, Midwest's Parent Support Assoc.source

• Robert Walter Lichfield

  Former Property ownersource

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Provo Canyon School Dorm parent, Director, Staff, Director of Residential Living
  • Teen Help Owner
  • Wwasp Owner/Founder, Founder
  • World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) Founder
  • Teen Mentor School Founder, Owner and Administrator, Registered the business
  • Cross Creek Programs Founder, Owner
  • Academy at Ivy Ridge Staff
  • Cross Creek Staff
  • Cross Creek Manor Staff

• Robert Walter Lichfield

  Administrator

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Cross Creek Manor for Girls

Notable staff

• Brian Vaifanua

  Former Night staffsource

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Cross Creek Academy Staff, 1990
  • Paradise Cove Director, Founder, Owner and Director, 1994-2025
  • Cross Creek Staff, before 1994
  • Second Chances Night Staff, 2020
  • Horizon Academy Night staff, 2025
  • Cross Creek Center Staff, before 2025
  • Never Give Up Youth Healing Services Former Night staff
  • Cross Creek Programs

• Gary LaChapelle

  Former Staffsource

• Greg Warosh

  Former Staffsource

• Jack Turner

  Former Teachersource

• James Paulus

  Former Asst. Dir. of Studentssource

• James Posz

  Former Staffsource

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Wwasps Transporter

• Jared Stewart

  Former Academy Assistantsource

• Jessica Paulus

  Former Family Rep.source

• Jordan Roberts

  Former Boys' Shift Leadersource

• Julie Dorothy

  Former Staff--Counselorsource

• Katie Thompson

  Former Academy Supervisorsource

• Mike Davis

  Former Staffsource

• Mike Holker

  Former Student Family Rep.source

• Nathan Teggerdine

  Former Family Representativesource

• S. Tyler McGhghy

  Former Family Representativesource

• Shasta Thurman

  Former Team Leadersource

• Tara Akers

  Former Admissions Directorsource

• Tara Sparrow

  Former Marketingsource

Rules and practices

Practices

• Seclusion or isolation
• Level system
• Confrontation groups
• Limits on contact with family

Treatment methods

• Large Group Awareness Training seminars
• Behavior modification

From the program's own papers in our library: Midwest Academy Family Representative Handbook revised 2012; Status and privileges midwest academy; Midwest Academy Student Manual 2012; Midwest Academy Parent Handbook 2011; Midwest Academy Youth Leader Manual 2010; Midwest Academy Parent Handbook 2006; Midwest Academy Dorm Parent Manual; Basic PE Rules Midwest Academy; Midwest Academy Youth Leader Manual; Midwest Academy Family Representative Handbook 2009.

Levels and phases

• Students had to write a "confession letter" to parents listing misbehavior at home to be supported for Advanced status (level 3). source
• Status 4 students on shift could staff In School or Out of School Suspension and take students on doctor runs, and could use the weight room. source

Rules

• Students could not sit or lie on a made bed, had to dress in the bathroom and could not shut their bedroom door. source
• Students needed staff permission to cross in and out of their rooms and night watch permission to go to the bathroom at night. source
• Regular status students could not talk with other Regular or Achievement students; they had to walk in line and ask permission to cross. source
• Regular status students had no gel, hairspray, game cards, jewelry, make-up, condiments or journals. source
• Students at Achievement status or above could keep a journal that staff could not read but could flip through. source
• Students could not possess any addresses but their home address, nor any phone, e-mail or fax numbers. source
• Sexual contact of any kind, including two people sitting on a bed, was prohibited. source
• Transport rules: file into vans from the back, silence during head counts, hands inside the van; Regular to Advanced raised hands to speak. source

Punishments

• Asking about activities was itself a consequence. source
• OSS students were watched at all times by a student sitting in the doorway; ISS was complete silence, with no eating. source
• Category 4 meant loss of 3 statuses (or 2 with self-correction) or a move to Regular status with zero merits. source
• The "Zero Tolerance Policy" expelled students for physical aggression, needing physical restraint, one-to-one staff intervention over 8 hours, or leaving without permission; parents arranged transport. source
• Bunk leaders, level threes and level fours could recommend consequences to peers, who had to pick them up themselves. source

Contact with family

• Regular, Achievement and Advanced students had no visits from parents; Service could have family day visits, Honor and High Honor overnight and home visits. source
• Family reps controlled and monitored student phone calls (20-25 minutes), watching for students who "vent" to get parents to pull them. source
• Reps told parents not to tell the student about upcoming visits or home passes; the student was told the last working day before. source
• Mail to students could come only from parents or parent-approved addresses; mail from other addresses was opened and read by the Family Rep. source
• Student phone calls to parents had to be earned by reaching Advanced Status; earlier calls were described as destructive and disruptive. source
• Parents were scheduled for the Parent Child I workshop after about 7 months, as the recommended first visit; the initial visit was approved only if phone calls had been productive. source
• Staff were told never to give students messages from their parents or share information about their parents. source

Restraint, isolation and transport

• Upper levels linked arms with students on "run buddy" when moving them. source
• "Intervention" removed a student to an office with an assigned staff member and a peer leader; the student wrote a 1,000-word essay before returning. source

Therapy and seminars

• "Elements II" was a three-day seminar practicing honest feedback and "proper confrontation techniques"; students had to be recommended to attend. source
• Family reps screened students' health care requests by calling parents to filter "manipulative requests" before the nurse's office scheduled a visit. source
• "Elements I" (two days), "Elements II" (three days) and "Value Living" (one day) seminars replaced the Discovery/Focus names; seminars about 8 weeks apart. source
• A student who "chose out" of Elements I rejoined a community for 7 weeks; parents were told to tell the child real change was required before coming home. source
• Medications were self-administered under supervision of non-medical staff, with one RN on staff. source
• Teen Orientation (two days) told students they were not being rescued and the only way home was lasting change; Discovery (three days) followed 7-9 weeks after entry. source
• A student "chosen out" of a seminar attended a one-day BreakPoint seminar about resistance to the Program. source
• Staff were told seminar processes and information were confidential and never to be discussed with students. source

Daily life

• Upper-level students were required to be on shift every other day, assisting dorm parents in supervising the family. source
• The doors in the facility were alarmed at all times. source
• On-shift youth leaders timed bathroom use and showers, ran lines, watched rooms, escorted students between areas and monitored students and referred consequences. source

Admission and fees

• The handbook said students sent home without home internalization would normally come back to the school "under warranty". source
• The 2009 handbook said Midwest Academy was no longer affiliated with Premier Education, the seminar company named in the 2006 handbook, but still told family reps to use its president's four points on why parents should attend adult seminars. source
• The Standard Commitment Letter had parents commit to completing all phases of the Character Building Program regardless of time frame, and to transfer their child to an alternative if expelled. source
• For expelled students the school might recommend Tranquility Bay, a treatment center, or another location chosen by the parents. source

What parents were told

• The Family Representative Handbook told staff their purpose was to create and maintain "On Board" parents and stress program graduation. source
• Family reps were told to help parents see the "whole picture" when a child wrote home complaining, and to guard against "believing their child and wanting to rescue them from the consequences". source
• Students filled out a monthly progress review that included how much they thought their parents supported program completion; reps used answers to spot "wavering" parents. source
• Family reps listed "red flags" for parents, including parents who miss calls, refuse seminars, demand exceptions or ask different staff for different answers. source
• Parents were told to make an "exit plan" by the time a student was 17 1/2 setting what they would give an 18-year-old who left the program. source
• The handbook told parents that students' statements in the "Denial", "Guilt Trip", "Anger" and "Negotiation" phases (including "I'm treated like a prisoner") were meant to get them taken out; the student reached "Acceptance" when parents held firm. source
• Parent seminars were experiential with no phones; leaving early meant the parent had "chosen out" and repeated the training; registration was included in tuition. source
• The parent handbook said students were expected to follow orders, stand at attention and walk single file between activities; rules were gradually lifted as they progressed. source

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Ownership

• WWASPS

Wiki entries

• Midwest Academy Keokuk, IA | 2003-2016

Other programs run by WWASP

• Academy at Ivy Ridge Ogdensburg, New York | Closed
• Bell(e) Academy Terra Bella, California | Closed
• Bethel Boys' Academy Lucedale, Mississippi | Closed
• Bethel Girls Academy Petal, Mississippi | Closed
• Brightway Adolescent Hospital St. George, Utah | Closed
• Camas Ranch Plains, Montana | Closed
• Canyon View Park Trout Creek, Montana | Closed
• Carolina Springs Academy Donalds, South Carolina | Closed
• Casa by the Sea Baja California, Mexico | Closed
• Coral Island Academy Fiji | Closed
• Coral Reef Academy Vaitele, Samoa
• Cross Creek Center La Verkin, Utah | Closed
• Cross Creek Manor La Verkin, Utah | Closed
• Darrington Academy Blue Ridge, Georgia | Closed
• High Impact Baja California, Mexico | Closed
• Linden House St. George, Utah | Closed
• Morava Academy Brno-Bystrc, Czech Republic | Closed
• Never Give Up Youth Healing Services Amargosa Valley, Nevada | Closed
• New Beginnings Maternity Home Utah
• Oceanside Teen Center Mexico | Closed
• Old West Academy Randolph, Utah | Closed
• Paradise Cove Aufaga, Samoa | Closed
• Pillars of Hope Centro America, Costa Rica | Closed
• Pine View Christian Academy Mississippi | Closed
• Royal Gorge Academy Cañon City, Colorado | Closed
• Sky View Christian Academy Hawthorne, Nevada | Closed
• Spring Creek Lodge Academy Thompson Falls, Montana | Closed
• Sunrise Beach Cancun, Mexico | Closed
• Sunset Bay Academy México, Mexico | Closed
• Teen Mentor School Tarcoles, Costa Rica | Closed
• Tranquility Bay Calabash Bay, Jamaica | Closed
• US Youth Services Lecompte, Louisiana | Closed
• Youth Foundation Success Academy La Verkin, Utah | Closed

Materials and links

Materials the project holds for this facility. Ask through the correction form to see any of them.

Manuals and handbooks

• Staff manual
• Parent manual
• Student or resident manual

Other documentation

• Archived website

External links

• Archived website (Wayback Machine)

Reference and research

• Midwest Academy
• Midwest Academy
• Midwest Academy Part 2 (2022-05-30)

From SCIAD NET.

Archived pages

• Midwest Academy Archived Website (2013)

From SCIAD NET.