Exclusive: ‘There are more victims’ of sexual abuse at Cape Fear Christian, lawyers allege

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Steve Wiseman
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Lawyers representing two Cape Fear Christian Academy athletes who accused the school’s former chief financial officer of sexual abuse said their clients aren’t her only victims.

Tammy Moran, 45, of Coats, was arrested March 19 and charged with three felony counts of sexual activity by a substitute parent/custodian after two male students who lived with her reported the abuse.

The school fired her the same day. She remains jailed in Harnett County on $150,000 secured bond, awaiting a May 18 court appearance.

The two students, one from North Carolina and another from South Carolina, lived with Moran and her husband at different times while attending the school, their attorneys told The News & Observer on Wednesday.

Since Moran also hosted other Cape Fear Christian athletes while they attended the school, the lawyers said they expect the case will extend beyond their clients.

“We have substantial reason to believe there are more victims,” Bakari Sellers, a lawyer with Strom Law Firm in Columbia, S.C, told the N&O in a Zoom interview. “We are exploring and believe that over Ms. Moran’s tenure that there are more victims out there and we are hoping that they come forward.”

A previous complaint

The alleged incidents of abuse involving the two known victims, who were not made available for interviews, took place during the 2018-19 school year and again during the current school year, according to their attorneys. Lawyers Sellers and Coleman Cowan identify them as John Doe #1 and John Doe #2.

John Doe is a pseudonym used for the victims, who were minors at the time of the alleged incidents. The News & Observer generally does not identify victims of sexual assault or abuse.

The lawyers say the mother of John Doe #1, the student in the 2018-19 incident, reported her son’s claims to the school, but that didn’t stop Moran from continuing to house student boarders who were athletes.

As for widening the criminal case to include others beyond Moran, Cowan of Durham’s Farrin Law Firm said that’s yet to be determined.

“We don’t know at this point everything that the school knew about what was going on,” Cowan said during a Zoom interview Wednesday. “We knew there was a prior complaint. It appears no action was taken after that prior complaint because we know it happened again at least once.”

Cowan said the legal team has reached out to school officials for information but has yet to receive any.

The News & Observer previously reported that Karen Parker, head of school at Cape Fear Christian, said the alleged incidents did not occur on school grounds.

“The Academy is devastated by this incident and asks for the community’s support and prayers during this difficult time,” Parker wrote. “The safety and well-being of our students are of utmost importance. The school has been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement in this ongoing matter.”

Investigators find ‘digital evidence’

Moran was arrested and subsequently fired after a victim’s family members reported the incidents to Harnett County Sheriff’s police. In a statement released to the media on March 19, Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats said investigators found “digital evidence” of the incidents.

The lawyers said the victims and their families are either in counseling or preparing to begin counseling as a result of the abuse.

“It’s a great deal of grief, trauma and embarrassment,” Sellers said. “Anytime someone takes advantage of a child or there is a situation where there is a predator and you put your child in their care, you ask many questions of yourself. But the parents here are not at fault by any stretch. What we saw here was a pattern of behavior by Ms. Moran that was one of grooming, predatory in taking advantage of these young people who were placed in her care.”

In addition to the criminal case, civil remedies could also be pursued, the lawyers said.

“These students, these teenagers have experienced things that students should never experience,” Cowan said. “They are traumatized by what happened. They are trying to untangle that, make sense of it, and put things back together and move forward, as are their families.”

Founded in 1969, Cape Fear Christian Academy graduated its first students in 1976. The Erwin-based school sponsors 10 different varsity sports, for both boys and girls, and competes in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association.

Recommended Stories

  • Analysis: Deliveroo's flop a wake-up call for tech hopefuls

    A dismal London stock market debut for Deliveroo, coming on the heels of other lukewarm listings, may be a sign that investors are becoming more discerning when it comes to buying shares in companies that have yet to turn a profit. Deliveroo, the biggest UK listing in a decade, plunged as much as 31% after trading started on Wednesday, dealing a blow to London's hopes that more technology companies would be lining up to follow suit. The fate of the food delivery start-up was not an isolated case as investors have become more wary of record high stock market valuations and rising bond yields are fuelling concerns almost everywhere about so-called 'growth' stocks -- companies promising fast growth but often with no profits to speak for.

  • Why Justin Fields’ ‘big problem’ might not be a big problem at all

    Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has been criticized for his slow processing speed. Maybe that's because we haven't seen his playbook.

  • Coleen Nolan ‘scared for her sons' amid discussions of sexual harassment

    Coleen Nolan has vocalised concerns about her sons saying or doing the wrong thing or being wrongfully accused amid women's safety debate on Loose Women.

  • Facebook removes video of Trump interview with daughter-in-law Lara, citing ban

    Facebook Inc has removed a video of an interview with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who remains banned from the platform, from his daughter-in-law Lara Trump's Facebook page, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Lara Trump, who is married to the former president's son Eric and recently joined Fox News as a contributor, had promoted an interview with Trump for her own online show "The Right View" in Instagram posts on Tuesday. She later posted a screenshot of an email from Facebook that said her video with Trump speaking had been removed, citing the ban on his accounts.

  • LGBT people should leave Church of England ‘for their own safety’

    LGBT people should leave the Church of England for their own “safety and wellbeing”, a former government advisor has said. Jayne Ozanne, a prominent gay evangelical Christian and member of General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, said that “the constant undermining of LGBT people and the lack of progress to create safe environments where we can flourish is astounding”. Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported that Ms Ozanne had quit her role as a government equalities advisor amid allegations that Boris Johnson’s administration had created a “hostile environment” for LGBT people. However, writing in her Via Media blog she made arguably her most controversial comments yet, and urged LGBT people who are in “pain” to leave. She said: “If I can be honest, it is what I’d recommend all LGBT people do who are finding the journey just too hard and too painful – there is no shame in going somewhere where you will be loved, honoured and cared for properly. “Where your wounds will be dressed, your heart healed and where you will be honoured with dignity and your love celebrated. “So, if you’re wondering what to do, I would suggest that you must put your own wellbeing and safety first. “If you are finding things too painful, please do leave and find a refuge – even if it is for a short while, in order to find rest and recuperate. Easter Saturdays are an inevitable part of the Easter story.” The catalyst for Ms Ozanne’s resignation – as well as two other advisors – was a debate in Parliament on gay conversion therapy, which drew attention to the Government’s failure to take action. Shortly after, Mr Johnson announced he will end “repulsive” conversion therapy, as he apologised to three LGBT advisers who quit over a lack of progress. A Church of England spokesperson said: “We are committed to the motion which General Synod agreed in 2017 which states that the practice of conversion therapy has no place in the modern world, is unethical, potentially harmful and not supported by evidence. It calls on the Church to be sensitive to, and listen to, contemporary expressions of gender identity and calls on the government to ban the practice of conversion therapy.”

  • 2 brutal anti-Asian attacks in NYC as bystanders do nothing

    In both cases, bystanders did nothing to intervene.

  • UK police watchdog says officers were 'calm and professional' at Sarah Everard's vigil, where they were seen shoving and arresting women

    HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services said the Metropolitan Police properly policed the event, despite strong criticism.

  • Olympic gold medalist charged with child sex abuse in Utah

    A gold medalist in sledding at the 2002 Winter Olympics has been charged with sexual abuse of a child in Utah, authorities said. James “Jimmy” Shea made his first court appearance Monday on one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of sexual battery. Shea's attorney, Rudy Bautista, said Tuesday that the charges are a result of a family dispute and a misunderstanding about what his client contends was loving and affectionate touching.

  • NYC mayoral candidate Maya Wiley says New York is 'not another startup' where Andrew Yang 'can play with other people's money and fail up'

    With Yang maintaining frontrunner status, Wiley's strongly-worded statement marks the latest instance of Democratic candidates targeting him directly.

  • 175 patients of former OBGYN have joined lawsuit against Columbia University, attorney says

    Anthony DiPietro, an attorney for the former patients, told CBS News that the case has grown tenfold since a lawsuit was filed with 17 plaintiffs in 2018.

  • ByteDance says it is 'bleeding' due to India bank account freeze, no relief from court

    An Indian court on Wednesday granted no relief to China's ByteDance, owner of the TikTok video app, in a case where the company challenged the local tax authority's decision to block its Indian bank accounts, dealing a blow to its operations. Indian authorities in mid-March blocked ByteDance's bank accounts for alleged tax evasion, prompting the company to ask a court to quash the directive which it feared would hurt its operations. All bank accounts are frozen.

  • Charlie McAvoy with a Goal vs. New Jersey Devils

    Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins) with a Goal vs. New Jersey Devils, 03/30/2021

  • Study: Michigan stands out in academics-based NCAA brackets

    Michigan fell short of the Final Four, but the Wolverines stood out in a study that seeded the NCAA Tournament fields based on academics and diversity. Michigan was the only school to claim a No. 1 seed in both the men’s and women’s brackets released Wednesday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at Central Florida, with the study crowning the Juwan Howard's Wolverines the men’s national champion for the second straight year. On the women’s side, Gonzaga was named national champion and nearly joined Michigan as the only school with a No. 1 seed in both of the brackets.

  • NY court rules Trump must face "Apprentice" contestant defamation suit

    The New York State Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos' defamation lawsuit against former President Trump could proceed.Why it matters: The case could be the first time Trump will have to answer questions in court under oath since he took office in 2017, the New York Times reports.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Context: Zervos filed the defamation lawsuit in 2017, saying that Trump lied when he denied ever groping or kissing her without her consent in 2007, with the former president specifically tweeting that Zervos' accusations were "made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED."Trump's lawyers at the time tried stopping the lawsuit, arguing that he was protected from legal action because he was a sitting president, per the Times. Two courts ruled against Trump prior to his attorneys appealing the case to New York's highest court. Trump stopped being president before the court heard the case, so the court said that the issues his lawyers presented were no longer relevant and the case could move forward.The big picture: Trump is currently facing two criminal investigations.One in Georgia, where he is currently under investigation for attempting to make local officials overturn the 2020 elections results.Another one in New York, where Trump is being accused of manipulating "the value of its properties to obtain loans and tax benefits," the Times writes. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • Two officials arrested in Italy for spying

    An Italian navy captain and a Russian diplomat have been arrested in Rome on suspicion of espionage, according to Italian police, after they were allegedly caught swapping a document for money at a secret meeting on Tuesday night.NATO documents were among the files the navy captain passed to the Russian official, local media said. A police source identified the captain as Walter Biot and said he accepted 5,000 euros in return for the information. A ministry source says Biot was working at the defense ministry department developing national security policy and managing part of Italy's relations with its allies.The Russian is a military official accredited at the embassy. Reuters correspondent Gavin Jones says the incident has the makings of a spy story."What we do know is that an Italian navy official and a Russian army official have both been arrested for exchanging documents relating to Italian security, we don't actually know where this exchange of documents took place. The Italian foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador, so it is obviously going to raise tensions between Italy and Russia."Police say the arrests followed a long investigation carried out by Italian intelligence, with the support of the military.

  • Former Steeler discusses the potential of Pittsburgh signing Le’Veon Bell

    Could the Steelers bring back Le'Veon Bell?

  • Rutgers University requiring students get vaccinated before returning to school

    Rutgers is the latest university to make vaccines mandatory, but what does that mean for students who are hesitant about getting the shot?

  • U.S. human rights report blasts China over Uighurs, Russia's targeting of Navalny

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States highlighted a deteriorating picture for human rights across the world on Tuesday, calling out China's repression of Uighurs and Russia's targeting of political dissidents, among other abuses. The State Department released reports on the rights situation last year in nearly 200 countries, which are required annually by law and include detailed reports on geopolitical rivals like Russia and China. "The trend lines on human rights continue to move in the wrong direction," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.

  • Data withheld from WHO team probing COVID-19 origins in China: Tedros

    Data was withheld from World Health Organization investigators who travelled to China to research the origins of the coronavirus epidemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday. The United States, the European Union and other Western countries immediately called for China to give "full access" to independent experts to all data about the original outbreak in late 2019. In its final report, written jointly with Chinese scientists, a WHO-led team that spent four weeks in and around Wuhan in January and February said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was "extremely unlikely" as a cause.

  • Macron orders COVID-19 lockdown across all of France, closes schools

    President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals. With the death toll nearing 100,000, intensive care units in the hardest-hit regions at breaking point and a slower-than-planned vaccine rollout, Macron was forced to abandon his goal of keeping the country open to protect the economy. Departing from his pledge to safeguard education from the pandemic, Macron said schools will close for three weeks after this weekend.