Michigan scout leader sentenced to 17 years for recording girls with hidden cameras

A former scout leader from West Michigan is headed to federal prison after being accused of using hidden cameras to record young girls in the bathroom and undressing. 

On July 28, U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering sentenced Robert Alan Mark, 59, from Whitehall, to 17 years in prison for sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. attorneys said. 

Beckering called Mark a "predator" and said that "no matter what good things he had done, that was wrecked by" the alleged crimes. 

According to federal prosecutors, Mark was a leader in Boy Scouts, now known as Scouting America, and served as a troop leader when Scouting America began admitting female members. 

Parents say Mark hosted pool parties at his home and encouraged girls to use his bathroom to shower and change. Over 10 years, federal attorneys say Mark used hidden cameras to record the girls undressing, using the bathroom and showering. Prosecutors say Mark hid cameras in his bathroom, a bedroom in his home and a tent. 

Investigators recovered images and video recordings of at least eight underage girls.  

"Mark richly deserved the sentence he got from Judge Beckering," U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said in a statement. "Anyone who sexually exploits children deserves a decisive response from the criminal justice system, and he got it here. But what really got our attention was that Mark used Scouting America to get access to them. Now more than ever, our communities need organizations like Scouting America to help our kids learn the best traditional American values, and that means we will do whatever is necessary to keep deviants like Mark far away."    

Once released from prison, Mark will serve seven years on supervised release and is required to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.