Girl Scout Troop Leader Charged In Child Porn Case

Maryland State Police say a Girl Scout troop leader in Ellicott City has been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

Stacy Mizrahi, 45, is charged with four counts of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. State police said he was awaiting an initial appearance before a court commissioner at Howard County Central Booking Center. No further information on his status was available in online court records.

Police say there's no information at this time if any activity may have involved children in Troop No. 715, which he leads with two women.

In August, a trooper with the Computer Crimes Unit downloaded child pornography distributed from a specific IP address. Investigation led them to a residential address tied to that IP address. Troopers got a search warrant, which was served early Thursday morning. A preliminary review of Mizrahi's computer allegedly turned up multiple images and/or videos of child pornography. Mizrahi was then arrested.

Girl Scouts of Central Maryland CEO Violet M. Apple said Mizrahi has been suspended and won't be allowed to volunteer with the group, be in contact with any scouts or participate in any activities.

Girl Scouts of Central Maryland CEO Violet M. Apple released a statement, saying:

"It is our No. 1 priority to ensure all GSCM members are safe," she said. "All GSCM employees and volunteers are required to pass a background check and Mr. Mizrahi passed his when he registered as a troop leader."

She said that their policy doesn't allow male volunteers to meet with girls without a female co-leader present.

"Mr. Mizrahi served as a co-leader with an unrelated female and the troop was supported by four additional volunteers -- all of whom passed background checks prior to registering as a volunteer," she said.

Anyone with more information is asked to call the MDS-Kids hotline at 1-800-637-5437. Callers may remain anonymous.

WBAL-TV 11 contributed to this report.