Ex-YMCA counselor turned Disney worker groomed boys for sexual abuse, NC lawsuit says
A former counselor at a North Carolina YMCA invited a select few boys into a group he called “Todd’s Thunderbirds,” took them on trips and gave them special privileges — all to sexually abuse them, according to a new lawsuit.
Michael Todd Pegram, 48, faced criminal charges and pleaded guilty to first-degree sex offense and indecent liberties with a child last year and is serving a 30-year prison sentence at Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville, North Carolina, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Now his victims have filed a civil lawsuit against him and the YMCA.
“Pegram was very charismatic with a larger than life personality,” the complaint states. “He also befriended the parents of these young boys and used the YMCA of (Northwest North Carolina) to facilitate his agenda. He manipulated these boys and their families, gained their trust and then took advantage of them.”
A representative for the national YMCA and the Kernersville Family YMCA, where the abuse allegedly occurred, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
A spokesperson for the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina declined to comment on pending litigation but said, “We are saddened to hear and learn more about what these victims and their families experienced more than 25 years ago.”
The lawsuit was filed Feb. 13 in Forsyth County Superior Court on behalf of seven men — including two brothers — who said they were abused by Pegram in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Pegram “handpicked” his favorite boys for his counseling group and made sure they were “revered” by others, according to the complaint. He also reportedly owned a DJ company and often hired them to work for him.
The YMCA gave him access to their facilities and vans after hours, and he hosted sleepovers, took the boys camping and to the beach, and — on one occasion — picked up male strippers, attorneys for the men said in the lawsuit. He reportedly used the media room to show them porn.
“Parents of some of the young boys complained to administrators and employees of the YMCA of NWNC about defendant Pegram’s inappropriate behavior, but nothing was done,” the complaint states.
The boys were between 10 and 14 at the time of the abuse, which followed a similar pattern, according to the lawsuit.
Pegram invited the boys to spend the night at his house where they rough housed with “inappropriate grabbing and touching,” attorneys said in the complaint. He showered with them, and sexually abused one in the YMCA’s hot tub, the lawsuit states.
According to the complaint, he lured at least one boy into his tent on a camping trip.
Many of them now struggle with addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, depression, trust issues and suicidal thoughts, their attorneys said in the lawsuit. They’re also in therapy.
One mother committed suicide after finding out about her son’s abuse, according to the lawsuit.
Pegram — who later moved to Florida — was arrested in 2017 outside a Walt Disney World resort, the Orlando Sentinel reported. According to the newspaper, he was a cast member at the time.
The complaint 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.
They’re seeking damages for pain and suffering and medical expenses, loss of income, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Ex-YMCA counselor turned Disney worker groomed boys for sexual abuse, NC lawsuit says."
