NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A former Boy Scout employee was indicted Thursday after he was accused of having and distributing hundreds of child pornography images and videos via email, some of which depicted children who were secretly recorded while using bathrooms at New Jersey camps where he worked, federal prosecutors said.
William Mickel, 69, worked at unnamed Boy Scout camps and possessed and received the files between February and April 2022, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.
Mickel distributed this data via email accounts and stored hundreds of images and videos on various devices in his home. Some of the videos in Mickel's possession depicted children being secretly captured using restrooms at the camps where Mickel worked, prosecutors said.
He had his initial appearance in Newark federal court on Thursday and was detained after the hearing.
It was unclear whether Mickel is believed to be the one who recorded the victims in the camp bathrooms or if he obtained those files.
The child porn distribution count has a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, as well as a fine of $250,000. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
A spokesperson for the Boy Scouts of America told NJ.com that Mickel was a part-time camp employee in 2021 but was permanently banned from the group last May.
"The allegations against William Mickle are disturbing and opposed to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands," the Boy Scouts said in a statement. "Immediately upon learning of his arrest in May of 2022 his membership was revoked and he was placed in our Volunteer Screening Database and is no longer permitted to register as staff or a volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America or participate in any capacity."
The organization said it was continuing to work with investigators.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of one of Mickel's alleged crimes is asked to contact the FBI at www.fbi.gov.
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