MORRIS COUNTY — A federal grand jury indicted a Lake Hopatcong man for possessing and distributing child abuse and exploitation material, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
William Mickel, 69, is charged by indictment with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He had his initial appearance today before U.S. District Judge Cathy L. Waldor 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 images and videos of child sexual abuse. Mickel used email accounts to distribute these materials and stored hundreds of images and videos on electronic devices in his home. Some videos in Mickel’s possession depicted children surreptitiously 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.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, and substantial assistance from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, and the Chester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Ryan T. McNamee, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
If you think you or your child may have been a victim, please contact the FBI by clicking here.
Click here to download a copy of the indictment.
