Boy Scouts Spied On In Camp Bathrooms By Morris Co. Man: Feds

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A former Boy Scouts of America employee was charged with possessing and distributing hundreds of child pornographic images and videos via email, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on Thursday.

William Mickel, 69, of Lake Hopatcong, is charged by indictment with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to federal prosecutors, some of the images depicted children who were secretly recorded while using bathrooms at camps where he worked in New Jersey.

Mickel had his initial appearance today before U.S. District Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was detained, Sellinger said.

According to a statement from the US Attorney's Office, Mickel worked at unspecified boy scout camps and allegedly possessed and received the files between February and April 2022.

Mickel distributed child pornography materials via email accounts and stored hundreds of images and videos on electronic devices in his home. Some of the videos in Mickel's possession showed children being secretly recorded using restrooms at Boy Scout camps where Mickel worked, police said.

It was not made clear if Mickel was the person who allegedly recorded the kids in the camp bathrooms on camera or if he merely had access to those files.

Mickel faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of distributing child pornography.

A conviction for possession of child pornography can result in up to 20 years in prison and a separate $250,000 fine.

Federal prosecutors asked anyone who may have been a victim of Mickel’s alleged crimes to contact the FBI at www.fbi.gov.