CLEVELAND — A Richland County man who formerly worked with the local Boy Scouts of America was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to multiple charges stemming from his secretly filming boys and sharing the images on the internet.
39-year-old Thomas Close of Shelby pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distributing child pornography in September. Following his prison term, Close will be subject to lifetime supervised release, which includes lifetime sex offender registration obligations. He was also ordered to pay $949 in restitution and a $300 special assessment.
Known as "Aqua Joe," Close worked with Boy Scout Troop 406. Officials say he planted multiple hidden cameras to film the boys before and after swimming at both the Sandusky YMCA and his own home, as well as at the Firelands Scout Reservation in Wakeman. The videos were created between 2011 and the summer of 2018, and Close was arrested this past November following an investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security along with state and local officials.
Agents conducted a forensic analysis of Close’s devices and confirmed that he had more than 110,000 image and video files that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Approximately 60,000 of those files were unique images. Close also created 1,900 images of child pornography. To date, 143 victims have been identified, with the youngest being seven years old.
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In Close's sentencing hearing, one of the victims provided a statement that read in part:
"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 in a statement. “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 Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has initiated a new system of background checks when an adult registers with the organization. "Starting in 2020, rechecks will be performed every five years. All currently registered volunteers are being provided with disclosure and authorization forms permitting BSA to recheck backgrounds according to this updated policy. Those not returning authorization forms will not be renewed as registered leaders in the BSA," the organization told 3News sister station 10TV in October.