Former NJ Boy Scout camp employee admits to child porn charges

A former Boy Scout camp employee in the Garden State has admitted to child porn-related charges, including having videos that were recorded at the camps where he worked.

William Mickel of Lake Hopatcong, NJ, Pleads Guilty

Earlier this week, federal authorities say 70-year-old William Mickel of Lake Hopatcong, Morris County, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

From February through April 2022, Mickel, who was employed by Boy Scout camps in New Jersey, distributed and possessed images and videos of child porn, according to officials.

Mickel used email accounts to distribute those files and he stored hundreds of images and videos on electronic devices at his home.

Some of the videos in his possession depicted children who were surreptitiously recorded using bathrooms in the camps where Mickel worked.

The count of distribution of child pornography carries a five to 20-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. The count of possession of child porn carries up to two decades behind bars and another $250,000.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 3rd.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Chester Police Department with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.