Disney worker sexually assaulted seven boys after grooming them by showing them porn, picking up male strippers
FORSYTH COUNTY, NC: A former YMCA counselor turned Disney worker reportedly lured young boys into a group called "Todd's Thunderbirds" before sexually abusing them.
Forty eight-year-old Michael Todd Pegram, of North Carolina, would reportedly "handpick" his favorite children for his counseling group before taking them on trips and molesting them. Pegram was sentenced last year to 30 years in prison for abusing the boys, aged between 10 to 14, whom he was supposed to be helping in the late '90s and early 2000s.
However, he along with YMCA now face a civil lawsuit from seven of his victims.
According to the report, Pegram would sexually assault the youngsters in YMCA's facilities and vans where he had access as an employee. According to the Charlotte-Observer, the predator would regularly host sleepovers and take the children camping, all the while grooming them for sexual abuse.
The pedophile was reported to have picked up male strippers while "caring" for the boys on one occasion. In another instance, he used the YMCA media room to show them porn videos. Now, several of his victims struggle with drug addiction, depression, trust issues, suicidal thoughts, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.
What's more? Court papers noted how one of the mothers killed herself after finding out about her son's abuse. The pervert was eventually arrested in 2017 on abuse charges after he moved to Florida and began working as an entertainer at the Walt Disney World resort.
On February 13, seven men who said they were abused by Pegram as children filed a civil lawsuit against him in Forsyth County Superior Court. “Parents of some of the young boys complained to administrators and employees of the YMCA about defendant Pegram’s inappropriate behavior, but nothing was done," court documents read.
The suit makes claims for negligence and infliction of emotional distress against the YMCA entities, saying they failed to properly supervise Pegram and didn’t intervene after parents said something about his behavior. It also makes claims for assault and battery against Pegram.
The seven plaintiffs are seeking damages for pain and suffering and medical expenses, loss of income, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina said, "We are saddened to hear and learn more about what these victims and their families experienced more than 25 years ago."