Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Detroit JCC Counsellor Won’t Face Local Charges for Kiddie Porn

A former counselor at a JCC day camp in suburban Detroit who is facing federal child pornography charges will not be charged locally.

Matthew David Kuppe, 21, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was charged in federal court in August with possessing, producing and distributing child pornography after allegedly filming prepubescent boys in the JCC locker room and sharing the photos online.

But the Oakland Prosecutor’s Office has decided not to charge Kuppe following an investigation into the case, the Detroit Free Press reported, citing West Bloomfield Police Chief Michael Patton. Investigators could not find evidence that Kuppe committed any state level violations, according to the newspaper. Patton said the local investigation would be concluded pending any new information.

Kuppe, who would have been a senior this year at Michigan State University, continues to be held without bond in the federal case. His attorney has filed a motion with U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn to release him into the custody of his parents ahead of his trial.

Kuppe worked at the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit’s day camp for two years, at one point supervising its special-needs campers. Under questioning, he allegedly admitted to posting nude photos of boys on a foreign website using the handle “jcclockerroom.” His account contained several emails with child pornography.

If convicted, Kuppe faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.