WARWICK, R.I. — A former theology teacher at a prominent all-boys Catholic high school in Rhode Island says he was fired and defamed by the school and Diocese of Providence after accusing them of failing to investigate a teacher’s use of a classroom computer to solicit male prostitutes and arrange sexual encounters with younger men.
Bishop Hendricken High School, a prep school that counts Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and former US congressman James Langevin among its alumni, fired theology teacher David Marsocci for insubordination in May 2017 after he created a website accusing school administrators of a coverup.
The website featured photos of top administrators claiming they lied about a “potential predator,” videos secretly recorded by Marsocci, and screenshots of the sexually suggestive emails he found on the classroom computer, including some responding to Craigslist ads for “Dad/Son Play.”
Another secretly recorded video, which was later shared anonymously with WPRI-TV and the Providence Branch of the NAACP, showed then-principal Joseph Brennan using racist and antisemitic slurs.
Marsocci filed a whistle-blower lawsuit in 2018 against the school and diocese, and is also suing former administrators for defamation and accusing them of interfering with his ability to get hired at other Catholic schools in Rhode Island.
Over the last week and a half, a jury in Kent County Superior Court has heard testimony from Brennan and Marsocci. The trial continues Tuesday.
Marsocci testified that he told Brennan and the chaplain in 2014 about finding the teacher’s emails on the computer, which was also used by students. The teacher was allegedly responding to ads on Craigslist seeking sexual encounters with younger men and, in one instance, sent a photo of himself with students.
Marsocci later created a website — registered under the name “Harry Paratestes” — on which he accused Brennan, assistant principal David Flanagan, and president John A. Jackson of covering up the other teacher’s actions. The “Hawk Outsider” website included videos that Marsocci had secretly recorded with Brennan, acknowledging that the teacher had a problem.
Marsocci was fired in May 2017, after school officials and the diocese discovered the website and told him to take it down, he said. He said he was defamed by letters that the school sent to the Bishop Hendricken community, pastors, and Catholic school principals, that painted him as a disgruntled teacher trying to damage the school’s reputation. The school also sought to assure the community that students were not in any danger.
While the “Hawk Outsider” website called the teacher a “potential predator,” Marsocci testified he had no evidence of the teacher behaving inappropriately with the students.
“Leaving that material on the computer for a minor to see is inappropriate,” Marsocci testified. “There may be some parents who may not want their kids to happen upon that stuff.”
Marsocci said another teacher told him about finding pornographic material on the classroom computer in 2013. Then, in 2014, Marsocci said, he found sexually explicit emails that appeared to be written by the teacher. He said he told the chaplain and Brennan.
Marsocci said he used a hidden camera to record his conversations with Brennan and other school officials “because of the history of events with the Catholic Church.”
“After I saw two pretty significant coverups by [the administration] 10 years before, I did what I felt necessary to make a record so I would not be a part of a coverup,” Marsocci testified.
Marsocci said he continued finding sexually explicit emails, which he said also could be viewed by any student. So, he took screenshots, told the chaplain, and began building a website to expose it.
Brennan testified that Marsocci was terminated for being insubordinate and that the accused teacher did not put any students in danger.
Brennan said he investigated by talking to the teacher, who denied writing the emails.
“He seemed almost hurt I would ask him that. He’s a wonderful man,” Brennan said. “I just felt as though he was sincere with me, and there was no way we could prove it was him.”
Brennan said he told the teacher to lock down the computer. He claimed he didn’t know that Marsocci continued finding more sexually explicit emails on the computer over the next three years, including solicitations for prostitution.
“He was always coming to talk to me. It may have been he was complaining to me about the decision [about teacher], and I thought the decision was good and fair,” Brennan testified. “I didn’t know he was still investigating. I might have thought he was upset that I didn’t terminate or punish [the teacher].”
Brennan and Flanagan found out about the Hawk Observer website, which was left open in the faculty room. Marsocci hadn’t yet made it public, but they could see the homepage with their photos on it, and a video of Brennan in his office.
“It was a bombshell,” Brennan testified. “It was saying there was a Hendricken scandal, a coverup, and honestly, [since] 2014, I thought this issue was resolved.”
The diocese was called in. Marsocci was told to take down the website. He refused and was fired. The police spoke with administrators at Hendricken and Marsocci, looked at his screenshots, and determined the issue was a civil matter.
The Hawk Outsider website went live. At a faculty meeting in June 2017, Brennan said, “This is war.” A letter went out from Bishop Hendricken in December assuring pastors and principals at Catholic schools that it categorically denied the allegations.
“We wanted to let the principals and pastors know that we have a safe school,” Brennan said.
Marsocci testified that he learned that the Rev. Robert Marciano, a Hendricken alum who became the school’s president, gave a homily in early 2018 calling him a rogue teacher.
“When I heard about Father Marciano, I knew my career connected with the church was over,” Marsocci said. He now works in construction.
The Hawk Outsider website now claims to be a collaboration with “Hendricken Parents” and “Hendricken Alumni,” though Marsocci testified that he doesn’t know who they are.
Both Brennan and Flanagan have filed counter-claims against Marsocci, accusing him of making libelous and slanderous statements. Brennan is also accusing Marsocci of violating his rights by surreptitiously filming him in his office and giving “selective false and fictitious information” to the media.
In one video, in which Brennan used a racial slur and a slur against Jewish people, he testified that he abruptly resigned in 2018 after the video was anonymously shared with WPRI-TV and the Providence Branch of the NAACP. Brennan said that snippet appeared to come from a conversation he had with Marsocci.
Flanagan and Jackson are also no longer employed by the school.
The only person whose job hasn’t changed is the teacher who was allegedly sending the explicit emails. He remains at Bishop Hendricken.
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