FBI: Michael Porter, charged last summer with child pornography, may have recorded more than 100 minors at YMCAs

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The FBI announced Tuesday that a man charged last summer may have recorded more than 100 minors in the locker and shower rooms at three Chicago area YMCAs.

The FBI has launched a push to identify victims, who likely do not even know it happened.

Michael Porter was charged in July of last year with multiple counts of  producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography. The Y said at that time that for 14 years, from 2006 until March 2020 when YMCA facilities had to close due to COVID-19, Porter visited three YMCA locations – the South Side YMCA, at 6330 S. Stony Island Ave. in the Woodlawn neighborhood; the High Ridge YMCA, at 2424 W. Touhy Ave. in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, and the Leaning Tower YMCA, at 6300 W. Touhy Ave. in north suburban Niles.

The High Ridge and Leaning Tower YMCAs have since closed permanently. But the allegations go back years.

The Y checks all its members' names and information against the National Sex Offender Database, and no red flags were found before the current criminal case was filed against Porter, the Y said.

But the Y said federal authorities told them Porter used concealed cameras to videotape boys in YMCA locker rooms surreptitiously, and also touched boys inappropriately in locker rooms on two known occasions at one or more Y facilities.

Federal authorities said there is no evidence at this time that Porter distributed the videos he took surreptitiously, the Y said.

The FBI said Tuesday that it is looking to identify victims whose images were captured on recording devices – and the bureau believes there may be over 100 victims ranging in ages from 5 to 17 captured on recordings over 14 years.

"it's fair to say that most of the people that we will be talking to don't have any idea that they've been victimized, and that's why we're doing this broad outreach," said FBI Special Agent Siobhan Johnson.

Anyone with information should call (800) CALL-FBI.