Congress Hears of Sex Offenders Under Golden Arches - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports

(Story created: 5/3/06) An exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation of sex offenders working under the golden arches now has the attention of Congress.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates: Hiring Sex Offenders

McDonald’s reacts to NewsChannel 5’s investigation and pledges to strengthen its hiring practices to keep out sexual predators. Read the company’s latest statement here. Part 1: McDonald's Restaurants Hire Child Molesters, Sex Offenders Part 2: Advocate Calls for Boycott, Sex Offender Says McDonald's Knew Part 3: McDonald's Manager Molests Kids, Gets Promoted Part 4: McDonald's Misses Sex Offender's Troubled History Part 5: McDonald's Beefs Up Policies to Keep Out Predators

McDonald's Responses

Click here to read the first statement from McDonald's corporate office about the allegations in this story. Click here to read a statement from a Tennessee McDonald's franchise owner regarding the incident that occurred in Franklin.

Federal Lawsuits

The federal government has sued McDonald’s franchises in Arizona, Arkansas and New Mexico for failing to protect teens from sex harassment and assault. Click a state to read more about these cases.

Background Checks

The founder of the National Foundation to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, Jody Gorran, says getting an FBI background check is easy. Click here to watch an interview with Jody. Also, check out his web sites: fbifingerprintcheck.com and mrbackgroundcheck.org

Contact McDonald's

Some viewers have asked how they can contact McDonald's regarding this story. Click here to do so.

"I'd like to bring to the attention of the committee a recent investigation by NewsChannel 5 in Nashville."

That was how U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., began a statement to a congressional committee.

The House panel was hearing testimony about the sexual exploitation of children.

The congresswoman noted our investigation, which discovered dozens of child molesters and other sex offenders working at McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's markets itself as a great place for kids to eat and play -- and for teens to work.

"This has seriously troubled me because of the actions we have seen by these despicable people and what they go to to try and get close to the children," Blackburn told committee members.

In a separate interview with NewsChannel 5, Blackburn says she wants to see if more can be done to protect children.

"That we have sexual predators who are going into a place like a family-friendly restaurant, going into a place where they can be hired and get close to these children, to me that is of tremendous concern."

A child safety expert has called for a national boycott of McDonald's unless the chain does more to clean up its hiring practices.

If you have information for our investigation, e-mail us. The address: investigate@newschannel5.com.