Former North Carolina scoutmaster admits he molested boys

Oct. 24, 2012 photo, Thomas J. Menghi Jr. sits on the front porch of his home during an interview in Monroe, N.C. (AP)

A former scoutmaster in North Carolina admits he molested as many as 10 boys in the early 1970s.

The file on Thomas J. Menghi Jr. is just one among thousands of pages on suspected abusers kept by the Boy Scouts of America and released under a recent court order.

He tells The Associated Press he was usually drunk when he had sex with boys in Troop 786 in Fayetteville.

He's now 69 years old and lives in Monroe, near Charlotte. He says he would like to apologize to his victims and fears going to jail.

Memos in Menghi's file from 1974 show other scout leaders contemplated whether to report the abuse to the police, but were directed not to by a national official.