why does the orthodox community protect abusers and cover up abuse?

i know this is a controversial topic and probably one that most are at least somewhat aware of. to me, this is one of the most baffling things that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

not long ago, someone told me that a kiruv rabbi in my community had to leave his position a few years ago because he had sexually assaulted and/or raped some of his students. he did loose his job over this ultimately but it all happened quietly and the reason was never revealed publicly – even though it SHOULD be public information because he is dangerous and still living in the community/attending his old synagogue sometimes. WORST OF ALL – he avoided being tried as a criminal and supposedly the victims were paid off to keep their mouths shut. for context, this was a modern orthodox rabbi who worked for a modern orthodox synagogue – not anywhere close to an ultra-orthodox Satmar type community that usually gets the media exposure on this subject.

i really don’t think the person who told me this was just trying to bash some rabbi she disliked and speaking lashon horah for no reason. i met this rabbi a few times myself and got very creepy, predator type vibes even just in the brief interactions i had. things also seemed to make sense when i found out this info – particularly the way in which he was let go from his position abruptly years ago before i had any knowledge of any of this. i was enraged when i learnt about all this and how they just let him off the hook with a light slap on the wrist. i understand that all people are imperfect and make mistakes but they need to face the consequences of their actions if they mess up. i’m angrier at the synagogue and the community for having this man’s back when they should’ve dealt with it the same way they would’ve in the non-jewish world.

i know there is Jewish Community Watch and other organizations who clearly understand this is a cancer that needs to be eradicated from orthodoxy. but i still never have received a good answer to this question – why would one of the worst sins be so well tolerated by the orthodox community in the first place? the myth that it’s against halacha for jews to turn in other jews to non-jewish authorities – or mesirah – seems to have been debunked. so what is the real reason why this continues to happen?