West Bloomfield Day Camp Aide Charged with Child Porn

By Katrease Stafford
Detroit Free Press
August 13, 2015

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2015/08/13/west-bloomfield-child-pornography-investigation/31647999/

[Kuppe Complaint - via Click on Detroit]

The Jewish Community Center is located on the northwest corner of Maple Road and Drake Road in West Bloomfield Township.

A 21-year-old former employee of the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield was charged today in federal court on several child pornography charges, after he allegedly abused multiple children at a day camp.

Matthew David Kuppe, of West Bloomfield was charged with production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography and is in federal custody until a detention hearing on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Kuppe was arrested after the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations uncovered dozens of nude photographs of young boys, presumably at the camp. West Bloomfield Police assisted, according to Deputy Chief Curt Lawson.

Lawson declined to say how many victims there are but said some have already been identified. Lawson said the Jewish Community Center has been "fully cooperative in this investigation." According to the center's website, children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 15 attend the camps.

"We're attempting to meet and speak with the parents of the children that were allegedly involved," Lawson said. "The investigation is continuing to see if there are further victims."

Michael Layne, spokesman for the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, said in a statement to the Free Press that the JCC was notified on Aug. 12 that a summer camp counselor was being investigated by West Bloomfield Police.

"Subsequently, we were notified that the individual had been taken into custody for alleged possession of photographs of campers taken while using the locker room and restroom facilities," Layne said in a statement. "The staff member was immediately terminated. In accordance with our policies, the individual was subject to a criminal background investigation that came back clear prior to his employment.

"The West Bloomfield Police is investigating the matter and we are cooperating fully with the police in their investigation. We are communicating with the parents of our program participants. All requests for information should be directed to the West Bloomfield Police Department."

Kuppe's attorney, Michael Rex, could not be reached for comment.

In August, HSI's Detroit bureau received information from the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit Cyber Crimes Center, which stated the boys' photos had been posted on a foreign image-sharing website.

Kuppe, using the username "JCCLOCKERROOM," posted "numerous nude photographs of young boys in a locker room setting," according to a federal complaint. "The photographs depicted the prepubescent boys' genitalia."

An undercover officer exchanged e-mails with Kuppe and asked him about one of the boys depicted in the photographs.

"I only get to touch him a few times," Kuppe wrote, before giving further graphic descriptions of the boy. "... I have more pics, but you need to send me some first ... What would you do to these little boys (be graphic.)"

Kuppe described how he sexually abused the boy as he was changing out of his clothes. He added that he planned to give the young boy oral sex.

An HSI subpoena was issued to Google, tracing the e-mails back to Kuppe. Federal agents used a law enforcement database and "media checks" to identify Kuppe and also discovered he worked at the JCC day camp. According to Kuppe's Facebook page, he worked as a Trekkers Assistant Unit Head at the camp.

His profile also states he is a Michigan State University student, studying psychology with a focus on Couple and Family Therapy.

Michigan State University’s office of media and public relations confirmed Kuppe is a senior, majoring in psychology. Kuppe was the undergraduate student liaison for the College of Social Science Alumni Association, but his profile has since been removed from the site.

Lawson said he met with Homeland Security agents before a search warrant was executed at Kuppe's home on Wednesday. Police discovered that Kuppe had still been working at the center and undercover detectives put him under surveillance.

"We continued our investigation late into the night and we did place the suspect in custody in West Bloomfield," Lawson said. "Today that suspect was turned over to the custody of Homeland Security and future charges will be determined by Oakland County."

Kuppe, who was present during the search, spoke to police and admitted he was the user "JCCLOCKERROOM," that he posted nude photographs of minor boys, that he took the photos with his cell phone and that he received child pornography from other internet users, according to the federal complaint.

Agents accessed his e-mail account and saw several e-mails that contained child pornography, according to the complaint.

Lawson said in his 20 years at West Bloomfield Police Department, he "can't recall any similar complaints related to the type of this alleged crime."

Kuppe is set to return to court Tuesday for a detention hearing in federal court.