Lawsuit over Family Foundation School in Hancock. Posted: Nov 3, 2026 / 05:37 PM EST Updated: Nov 3, 2026 / 05:37 PM EST HANCOCK, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) - A controversial boarding school for troubled teens that operated in Hancock for 30 years is back in court a year after one of its former teachers was sent to prison for raping students. A New York City law firm is using what was learned in the trial to sue not only the former owners of the school, but a long list of others on accusations of racketeering and human trafficking. The Family Foundation School operated from 1984 to 2014 in Hancock, billing itself as a therapeutic treatment institution for adolescents and teens with drug and behavior problems. Former music teacher Paul Geer is now serving a 27-year prison sentence for raping two students on separate out-of-state trips. Neil Finch was a student there from 1995 to 1997. "Everything there was a grooming situation. You were being broken down, being demeaned, not just by Mr. Geer," Finch says. "So, as the judge said, it was the perfect petri dish for something like this to grow and become toxic." The law firm Johannesen and Umana has filed a 97-page civil suit alleging the school subjected the children to forced labor, food deprivation, physical violence and sexual abuse. Attorney Alexis Elliott says the firm expects to have as many as 50 plaintiffs. "We have adults well into their 30's, 40's and 50's who have not been able to recover emotionally, mentally from what they experienced at the Family School," Elliott says. Partner Elizabeth Johannesen says the former owners, the Argiros family, have settled confidential private lawsuits in the past related to specific individuals. She says the trial of Geer revealed a broader criminal enterprise in which a long list of defendants benefited from the school's bad behavior. "The entities and individuals who either knew or turned a blind eye toward those actions and continued to participate in those actions because they were profiting from the relationship that they had with the school," Johannesen says. Defendants include former teachers, NBT Bank where the school did its banking, Sysco which supplied food to the campus, and various government entities, including Hancock Police, for ignoring complaints made by students against the school. Partner Luis Umana says the Family Foundation School did not operate in a vacuum and that many others beside Paul Geer need to be held accountable. "We have individuals reaching out to us every single day telling us how their lives were ruined and how their lives as an adult have been impacted," Umana says. A hearing in the case is scheduled for tomorrow in federal court. Both NBT Bank and Sysco say they won't comment on pending litigation.

NBT Bank promotes Jamie Peluso to Director of Treasury Management. NBT Bank announced that Jamie Peluso has been promoted to Director of Treasury Management. She is based at NBT's Eastern New York Regional Headquarters at 677 Broadway in downtown Albany. In this bank wide role, Peluso leads the NBT Bank's strategy, delivery and ongoing enhancement of treasury management solutions designed to help businesses improve cash flow, optimize payment processes and strengthen fraud protection. Peluso's career at NBT is a great example of growth and progression. She joined the bank in 2004 in Retail Banking and moved into what was then Cash Management in 2006, taking on a sales role as the business evolved. As the function expanded into today's Treasury Management offering, Peluso stepped into leadership with her most recent role as Treasury Management Commercial Sales Manager, where she has successfully guided both sales and operations, driving new business and deepening existing client relationships. Peluso earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and management from Siena University in Loudonville, New York. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Tech Valley program offered by the Capital Region Chamber, as well as NBT's Emerging Leaders professional development program. An active community volunteer, Peluso has supported Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York for several years and has served on the organization's Board of Directors.