Royal Oak Gymnastics Photographer Faces Child Porn Charges: Feds

ROYAL OAK, MI — A Royal Oak photographer who photographs children’s gymnastics meets faces child pornography charges after the FBI found more than 1,500 pictures of children on his home computer, federal prosecutors announced last week.

David Eric Yellen, 58, was scheduled to appear in court on Monday on the charges after the FBI searched his home last week, federal prosecutors said. Of the 1,500 photographs found on Yellen’s computer, at least 500 meet the federal standard for child pornography, officials said.

The criminal complaint said that Yellen admitted to FBI agents that he had child pornography on his computer and electronic devices. FBI officials tracked Yellen after federal investigators were investigating a file-sharing service where child pornography is shared among predators, investigators said.

FBI officials identified a user who had shared 14 files on May 11. Of the 14 files, at least two met the standard for child pornography, the criminal complaint filed against Yellen said. Yellen is a freelance photographer who shoots photos and videos of children’s gymnastics meets. Yellen told FBI agents that he would often take photos of children’s bare feet during gymnastics meets and then used the photos for his own pleasure, the criminal complaint said.

Yellen admitted to having child pornography on his electronic devices but denied uploading or downloading child pornography. He said that he had downloaded child pornography 10 years ago but said that he did not know that the images could be shared by other people, he told investigators.

The criminal complaint said that Yellen’s hard drive had a folder entitled “BFK” for barefoot kids and agents said there were more than 200 images of children’s bare feet in the folder.

Yellen was being held without bond and was scheduled to appear in federal court on Monday in Detroit.