Ex-Jewish Camp Counselor in Child Porn Case Pleads Guilty

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI — A former camp counselor for the Jewish Community Center accused of photographing young prepubescent boys and then downloading them to an internet sharing site pleaded guilty Thursday to a single count of distributing nude photographs on the internet, while five more serious charges of producing and possessing child pornography were dismissed, according to media reports.

Matthew Kuppe, 22, was arrested on federal pornography charges a year ago this month by Department of Homeland Security and West Bloomfield police investigators discovered a collection of photos of naked boys in his possession after getting a tip that he had been posted them on a Russian image-sharing website, the report added.

Kuppe faces a mandatory prison sentence of five years, but could go to prison for up to 20 years. Sentencing guidelines call for 10 years in prison, supervised release and a requirement that Kuppe register as a federal sex offender, The Detroit News reported.

In U.S. District Court Thursday, Judge Avern Cohn asked Kuppe if he had distributed child pornography, the Detroit Free Press reported, noting that in most guilty pleas, defendants are required to explain their crimes in detail.

“Yes, your honor,” he replied.

The parents of the boys, who last year blasted Cohn for what they considered his unusually lenient treatment of Kuppe, left the courtroom in silence, the Free Press said.

Cohn had released Kuppe to the custody of his parents just before Thanksgiving last year. He had been detained since his arrest. In a statement, they said Kuppe’s release “diminished the profoundness of his crimes.”

“While Matt Kuppe is home enjoying Thanksgiving dinner and welcoming a new year in comfort, our families are seeking the service of professional therapists to help us understand what may be going on in the boys' heads,” the parents wrote. “This devastating incident has forever changed our lives and we will not know for quite some time what impact this will have on our children. Just because you can't see the damage doesn't mean it is not there.”

During the investigation, Kuppe chatted with an undercover agent his sexual fantasies about young boys with undercover agents, according to court records.

Kuppe, his parents and his attorney, Walter Piszczatowski, went to Cohn’s chambers after the plea hearing.

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