By: Yuritza Arroyo
Federal authorities announced that a federal grand jury indicted a Morris County man for possessing and distributing explicit images of minors.
According to federal authorities, 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.
Officials say he had his initial appearance in Newark federal court and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Mickel was employed by Boy Scout camps in New Jersey, and from February 2022 through April 2022, he distributed and possessed explicit images and videos of minors.
Court documents state Mickel used email accounts to distribute these materials and stored hundreds of images and videos on electronic devices in his home.
Some of the videos in Mickel’s possession depicted children who were secretly recorded using bathrooms in the Boy Scout camps where Mickel worked.
The count of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
The count of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.