exposing the dark side of adoption
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Children's home settles; Masonic Home for Children was named in abuse suit

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Jessica Rocha, Staff Writer

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When the 12-year-old girl was sent to an Oxford orphanage by her adoptive parents in 2001, she met a man who seemed to be a generous and loving volunteer and benefactor.

James McDaniel-Webb, 49, of Fuquay-Varina saw himself as a "Bill Gates Jr.," a computer wizard who apparently made a bundle when he developed a computer software tool he sold to a major software company.

In 2001, McDaniel-Webb, a divorcee with no other children, sought and received custody of the girl, lavishing her with gifts such as jewelry with real diamonds, and horses.

Two years later, he was charged with federal and state sex crimes.

Now he's in a federal prison serving a sentence related to Internet pornography, lawyers familiar with the case said. After that, he'll come back to North Carolina to serve a state sentence for sexually abusing the girl over the two years she lived with him.

The girl and her guardian also are suing McDaniel-Webb in Orange County Superior Civil Court.

The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford settled its part of the civil lawsuit Monday that accused the home of contributing to the circumstances leading to McDaniel-Webb's relationship with the girl.

The settlement was sealed in Orange County Superior Court. Attorneys would not discuss how much money the children's home agreed to pay the girl.

When filed in 2004, the suit alleged that the Masonic home permitted McDaniel-Webb to host overnight visits with the girl even though he already had a criminal record. As a teenager he was convicted of aiding and abetting an escaped prisoner -- his father.

Jerry Oliver, an attorney for the children's home, said unsupervised off-site visits have been halted.

Staff writer Jessica Rocha can be reached at 932-2008 or jessica.rocha@newsobserver.com.

2006 Jan 10