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Former West Bloomfield JCC camp counselor sentenced to 10 years in child porn case

Matthew Kuppe pleads guilty to distribution of child pornography

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – A former camp counselor at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield was sentenced Tuesday for distribution of child pornography and parents are not happy about the plea agreement.

Matthew David Kuppe, 22, of West Bloomfield, pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography under a plea agreement with the government to serve 10 years in prison in exchange for the charges of production, possession, and receipt of child pornography being dropped.

Kuppe was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 7 years of supervised probation. The original charges carried a sentence of at least 20 years.

The former counselor walked out of court after learning his sentence and has 60 days to turn himself in. During the grace period, Kuppe’s GPS tether will be taken off and he will no longer be under house arrest. 

He told Judge Avern Cohn that he did a "bad thing" but says it doesn't mean he's a "bad person."

Parents were outraged and said they want the JCC to do the right thing.

According to federal investigators, Kuppe took pictures of underage campers and sent them to a Russia-based child porn website. In his plea deal, Kuppe admitted posting photos of three boys, ages 5 and 6.

Investigators had said it was “extremely likely that Kuppe “engaged in some form of sexual contact with campers at the summer camp in 2014 and 2015,” but the judge said during the sentencing that there was not enough evidence of molestation.

According to the lawyer representing three victims, the West Bloomfield JCC had numerous complaints against Kuppe and instead of firing him, he was moved around.

In a victim impact statement, one parent said:

“Our older son had to look at pictures of himself naked and be told that a counselor at camp took the picture secretly. Now when he is attending any other day or overnight camp, he has to think about his trusted counselors actually being “bad guys.”

Parents said they may be seeking legal action.

Here is a statement from JCC:

"The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit is committed to the safety and welfare of the families we serve. We are grateful that this painful matter has reached a conclusion through the criminal system. We are hopeful that the healing process can continue uninterrupted."

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About the Authors
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.