Former Boy Scout camp employee indicted for possession, distribution of child pornography
LAKE HOPATCONG, NJ (Morris County) – A federal grand jury indicted a Morris County man for possessing and distributing child abuse and exploitation material, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
William Mickel, 69, of Lake Hopatcong is charged by indictment with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He had his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. district Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was detained, Sellinger siad.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Mickel was employed by Boy Scout camps in New Jersey, and from February 2022 through April 2022, he distributed and possessed images and videos of child sexual abuse.
Mickel used email accounts to distribute these materials, and stored hundreds of images and videos on electronic devices in his home. Some of the videos in Mickel’s possession depicted children who were surreptitiously recorded using bathrooms in the Boy Scout camps where Mickel worked.
The count of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. The count of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you think you or your child may have been a victim, contact the FBI at www.fbi.gov.
