A Whitehall man and Boy Scout leader will serve at least 17 years in prison after recording girls with hidden cameras, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan announced on Wednesday, July 29.
Robert Mark, 59, served as a troop leader and from 2015 to 2025 he recorded at least eight girls undressing, showering and or using the bathroom using hidden cameras in his bathroom, bedroom, home and tent in Muskegon County, federal prosecutors say.
In addition to 208 months in federal prison, Mark will spend seven years on supervised release after his term, and will be required to register as a sex offender, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a release.
Mark pleaded guilty in March to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor with
seven dismissed. The sentence was handed down July 28.
“Scout leaders are trusted to protect our children, not exploit them. This sentence reflects the depravity of his conduct and makes clear that those who victimize our children will be held fully accountable,” said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.“I commend the outstanding work of the FBI Grand Rapids WEBCHEX Task Force and the Michigan State Police for their diligent efforts throughout this investigation."
According to the release and criminal complaint, Mark was a leader of an all-girl troop for Boy Scouts (now Scouting America). Scouts and their parents reported that he had hosted pool parties in his home and encouraged the girls to use his bathroom to shower and change.
Investigators found that he used hidden cameras to record girls undressed, showering, and/or using the bathroom. Recovered videos and images showed he had recorded at least eight girls, all under 18, and that he had hidden cameras in his bathroom, a bedroom in his home, and a tent.
According to the complaint there were numerous instances spanning years of Mark video recording girls in public at various events. Parents of one victim said they examined his phone and discovered he had been messaging the girl, which is against Scouts policy.
He messaged a second girl when she was 16 via social media app Snapchat, “Look’en good! Sexy!” in response toone of the photos on her story.
In August 2025, investigators searched his home and seized multiple electronic devices and memory cards. He admitted during an interview to recording girls since 2019, but claimed he never captured any nudity and did not view child sexually abusive material.
However, investigators said they recovered folders that included photos and videos of girls in various states of undress. Six individuals identified were scouts and two others were known to his family.
“Mark richly deserved the sentence he got from Judge Jane Beckering. Anyone who sexually exploits children deserves a decisive response from the criminal justice system, and he got it here," U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said. "But what really got our attention was that Mark used Scouting America to get access to them. Now more than ever, our communities need organizations like Scouting America to help our kids learn the best traditionalAmerican values, and that means we will do whatever is necessary to keep deviants like Mark far away.”
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims, the release said.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: West Michigan man sent to federal prison for filming girls in shower
