Boy Scout Leader Who Videotaped Naked Kids Sentenced In Ohio

CLEVELAND — A Northern Ohio boy scout has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for secretly videotaping children as they changed clothes. Thomas Close previously pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting children and receiving and distributing child pornography.

Close, 39, was known to many boy scouts as "Aqua Joe" because he was a swim instructor and troop leader. Prosecutors said that between 2011 and 2018, Close abused his position to secretly record young boys as they changed to go swimming or take showers. He also victimized children in his care at the YMCA, the Willard Conservation League, the Firelands Scout Reservation, the Ashland County West Holmes Career Center, the Mohican Wilderness camp, the STEM camp, and even his own home in Shelby, Ohio.

Close used a spy watch to record the naked children, prosecutors said.

One of Close's victims gave the following statement to prosecutors. The statement is directed at Close:

Never have I been so sad. This whole thing lingers in my mind all the time. I wish I could make it go away. . . . I have a question for you, Aqua Joe: Why? Why would you do this to me? Why would you do this to any kid? How dare you do this to a kid that can’t defend himself. I don’t understand. I’m supposed to be able to trust the people that I’m told I can trust. You took advantage of me and you spied on me. Now I don’t trust anyone. You ruined part of my life! And I hate you. . . . I especially hate you for hurting my mother. You broke her heart – and mine.. . . I hope someday I can forget about you.

“It is difficult to imagine a more heinous crime, particularly when the ages and youthful experiences of children were so calculatingly exploited,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “If we have not made it clear before, let this sentence send a message to all who seek to prey on our children: there is no place we cannot find you and we will bring you to justice.”

The Investigation

Investigation into Close started when Homeland Security (HSI) got a tip about videos on the Internet showing young boys changing before or after swimming at the YMCA in Sandusky, court documents said. The pool at the YMCA would occasionally rent its facilities to the Boy Scouts.

Agents then tried to identify the boys in the videos and photographs. Both the Boy Scouts leadership and YMCA officials offered assistance to investigators. While meeting with the Boy Scouts, agents were told about a report filed against Close, saying he had frequent and unnecessary contact with the boys.

Close was then interviewed by investigators and, prosecutors said, he admitted he had downloaded child pornography, had received and distributed images of child pornography online, and said he had approximately 5 terabytes of child pornography in his possession. He also admitted to leaving a watch with video recording capabilities in the changing areas for boys.

When agents searched Close's devices, they found 110,000 images and video files of child pornography. Approximately 60,000 of the files were unique. Close had also created 1,900 images of child pornography.

Prosecutors said 143 victims have been identified so far. The youngest victim was 7-years-old.

Close pleaded guilty to the charges against him in September 2019. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervision on Wednesday.

“This individual used his position and regular access to children to exploit the young people who he was entrusted to take care of and protect,” said Vance Callender, HSI special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio. “While no amount of prison time is sufficient for the depraved abuse of trust by Mr. Close on his innocent victims, hopefully, today’s sentencing can begin the healing process for all of those impacted.”

The Boy Scouts of America issued the following statement after Close's sentencing:

This individual’s actions are reprehensible and run counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands. Upon learning of these reports from federal investigators, we took immediate action to remove him from Scouting and preclude his future participation in our programs.

Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in our Scouting programs – it is our top priority. The BSA has a multi-layered process of safeguards informed by experts, including the following, all of which act as barriers to abuse: a leadership policy that requires at least two youth-protection trained adults be present with youth at all times and bans one-on-one situations where adults would have any interactions alone with children – either in person, online, or via text; a ban on the use of recording devices/cell phones near bathrooms and shower houses; a thorough screening process for adult leaders and staff including criminal background checks, and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse.

The BSA also offers a 24/7 Scouts First Helpline (1-844-726-8871) and email contact address (scouts1st@scouting.org) to access counseling and help needed to report any suspected abuse or inappropriate behavior.

We steadfastly believe that one incident of abuse is one too many and we are continually improving all of our policies to prevent abuse. This is precisely why we fully support and advocate for the creation of a national registry overseen by a governmental entity, similar to the national sex offender registry, of those who are suspected of child abuse or inappropriate behavior with a child, thus allowing all youth-serving organizations to share and access such information. We call upon Congress and other youth- serving organizations to support this initiative.