NJ Boy Scout camp worker indicted for secretly recording children
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A New Jersey Boy Scout camp worker has been indicted for secretly filming children using bathrooms. And the FBI is seeking to identify possible victims.
William Mickel of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey faces one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography. A federal grand jury handed down the indictment on Thursday, May 4 during Mickel's initial appearance at the United States District Court of New Jersey in Newark where he was subsequently detained.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says each charge respectively carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
They say Mickel worked at Camp Winnebago in Rockaway, NJ and Camp Allamuchy in Stanhope, NJ between February 2022 and April 2022. Mickel is accused of placing hidden cameras in the bathrooms at both camps to produce images and videos of children.
The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges that Mickel used email accounts to distribute the materials and that hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse were stored on his electronic devices inside of his home. Some of the videos found on the devices were of children who attended the Boy Scout camps.
FBI investigators say those who attended or who have children who attended Camp Winnebago and Camp Allamuchy between August 2019 to March 2022 could be affected. They believe there are victims from multiple cities across the country and are asking possible victims to visit the agency's official case website for assistance.