WHITEHALL, Mich. — A Scouting America troop leader from Whitehall faces federal charges alleging he recorded several young girls in his scouting troop through a camera hidden in his bathroom.
Robert Mark was charged with sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography earlier this month.
Federal investigators say the long-time filmed at least eight different girls over several months in 2024. The probe into his actions started when a Michigan State Police sergeant, who was volunteering with the scouts, was tipped off by another parent who said Mark had recorded some of the girls in bathing suits roughly ten years before.
That led the sergeant to be mindful of Mark's actions during scouting events. He witnessed the troop leader appear to use his phone to record the girls from under a picnic table for several minutes at a time, said investigators.
When federal agents talked with one of the girls' parents, they went to their daughter's phone and found Mark had messaged her directly, a violation of scouting policy, per court records.
Weeks later a representative from Scouting America told investigators a woman filed a claim that Mark had been taken photos of her when she was in the program years before.
One day later agents used a search warrant to seize several devices from his home. They contained multiple videos of the girls taken through cameras hidden in his bathroom.
As scout leader, Mark hosted several pool parties over the years, according to investigators.
During interviews with federal agents, he admitted to recording girls since 2019. In November in a follow up interview, Mark admitted to recording girls as young as 10 in the nude through those cameras.
If convicted, Mark could spend the rest of his life in prison. He's being held on a $50,000 bond pending his next court date.
