6960 - Geez, Kamal...a pedophile?
Oct. 25th, 2004 06:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scottobearTV Meteorologist Accused Of Soliciting Sex With Minor
MIAMI -- South Florida TV meteorologist Bill Kamal was arrested Sunday in Fort Pierce as part of an investigation into sexual predators.
Authorities say Kamal set up a meeting for sex over the Internet with what he thought was a 14-year-old boy. The boy was actually an undercover federal agent, police say.
Investigators said that Kamal had arranged to meet the boy at a convenience store.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said Kamal had two condoms when he was arrested as well as two toys, one of which was a water gun.
WSVN representatives said the station has fired Kamal because they "had no choice." The station issued a brief statement saying: "We have no other alternative but to dismiss Bill Kamal for cause."
Kamal was Channel 7's chief meteorologist.
Investigators said that Kamal waived his rights and admitted to having child pornography on his computer.
After exercising search warrants at Kamal's Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale homes, investigators confiscated his laptop computer and a desktop computer.
Kamal is being held without bond in the St. Lucie County Jail on a third-degree felony charge. He could face up to three years in prison for that charge.
He is facing additional federal charges that will be announced Tuesday
[Poll #372650]
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-25 10:41 pm (UTC)my 2 cents
Date: 2004-10-25 10:43 pm (UTC)Besides his image is totally tainted now, I wouldn't be able to watch him on the news without thinking PERVERT.
Re: my 2 cents
Date: 2004-10-25 10:47 pm (UTC)The guy just cashed his sickness in for any future job in meteorology/tv, and is going to very likely go to jail.
I can't imagine he thinks diddling some kid is worth it, now.
If I had an attraction to something that I knew hurt kids and would throw me in jail, I'd just masturbate, and be done with it.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 02:16 am (UTC)The laws were basically pushed through so that they could sue the catholic churches here up the wazoo, and it's certainly been taken advantage of I'm sure, but it's just a matter of time before people catch on to this and start suing everyone else. I've already heard of at least one case of some sort of govt. agency getting sued in Salem in connection with a molesting employee (to the point that they actually had to put out some ballot measures to raise taxes to pay for the lawsuits!) though I havent heard much more since then - it was sometime last year.
Of course, I'm not talking at all about what I think of the litigation-obsessed America that we live in...just seeing why a business would do that.
That said...TV, especially news stations, aren't exactly known for being fair with folks - show me one female TV anchor that didnt get fired coincidentally with the birth of their first kid, or even just finding out they were pregnant.
Hi
Date: 2004-10-26 03:31 am (UTC)Re: Hi
Date: 2004-10-26 03:32 am (UTC)What would you like to talk about?
wow
Date: 2004-10-26 03:34 am (UTC)Re: wow
Date: 2004-10-26 03:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 03:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 03:39 am (UTC)Feel free to add me to your reading list if you like. Are you brand new to LJ?
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 03:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-27 12:23 pm (UTC)Saying the former TV weatherman was a danger, U.S. prosecutors requested Bill Kamal be held without bail on child enticement charges. Meanwhile, state prosecutors said they would let their federal counterparts handle the case.
BY PHIL LONG AND CHARLES RABIN
plong@herald.com
FORT PIERCE - Federal prosecutors on Tuesday asked a U.S. magistrate not to set bail for Bill Kamal, saying that the former WSVN weatherman charged with child enticement is a danger to the community.
The move came as state prosecutors in St. Lucie County said they would step aside and let the U.S. attorney take the lead in prosecuting Kamal.
At the request of Kamal's attorney, Magistrate Frank J. Lynch agreed to postpone Kamal's bond hearing until Nov. 3. Kamal will remain in St. Lucie County Jail at least until then. A federal grand jury is expected to hear the case the following day.
The 10-year weatherman at WSVN was charged Monday with one federal count of child enticement, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.
FIVE-YEAR TERM
The state charged him with a single count of solicitation of a child under 16, punishable by up to five years in prison. He was being held on the state charge on $200,000 bail.
Deferring to federal prosecutors is common if the federal charges are equal to or stiffer than the state charges.
''Generally, if the federal government picks up the charges, we don't duplicate prosecution unless there are special circumstances,'' said Kathy Nelson, assistant state attorney in St. Lucie County.
Carlos Castillo, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Miami, would not say whether a grand jury indictment is likely to include additional charges against Kamal.
Kamal is ''a little bit shell-shocked,'' but doing well under the circumstances, said his attorney, Jeffrey Voluck of Fort Lauderdale.
Kamal has not spoken to the media.
Kamal, 47, was arrested Sunday afternoon when local, state and federal authorities followed him to a Fort Pierce convenience store, where he was to meet a 14-year-old boy he met online for sex, police said.
But the boy turned out to be an undercover St. Lucie County detective, who began conversing with Kamal via the Internet on Oct. 18.
Search warrants allowed authorities to confiscate undeveloped film, two computers and some videos from Kamal's homes in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
Kamal also told authorities they would find about a dozen pictures of children having sex with adults on his home computer, according to his arrest affidavit.
LOSES JOB
On Monday, Channel 7 fired the weatherman, who spent more than 300 hours on the air during this year's active hurricane season.
Kamal, a University of Massachusetts graduate and one of the first meteorologists on the Weather Channel, joined Channel 7 in 1995 after he was let go by WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C.
Voluck said it was premature to discuss the case because he had yet to see the evidence. The attorney said he would show at the bond hearing that Kamal is no threat to the community. He said he would ask the magistrate to release Kamal on bail with conditions that may include house arrest.
Kamal was arrested as part of Operation Predator, a federal multiagency program led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that targets the abuse of children. Since its inauguration in July 2003, more than 4,000 arrests have been made nationwide, 168 of those in Florida.
Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-27 02:37 pm (UTC)Channel 7 is NOT a COURT OF LAW! Bill Kamal has worked a lifetime to get to where he is and has provided South Florida a valuable service. But as a media personality, it's part of Kamal’s job to protect Channel 7's image (in my opinion is sensational anyway) and he failed to do so. But it doesn't take this incident to soil the station’s image, Kamal could do so by public drunkenness. Because no TV station can survive with a bad reputation, it has the right to withhold his salary.
Why did Channel 7 fire Kamal?: (1) to impose justice, (2) to gain points with the public by appearing that the station doesn’t condone this behavior, (3) to protect the station's image by disassociating themselves from him, (4) because he had a turbulent history at the station and this was the last straw, or (5) because the termination was politically motivated and this was a great reason to get rid of him. The reason can only fall under one or all five of these reasons.
Kamal's termination before a verdict under any of these reasons was wrong because (for reasons) 1: Channel 7 is NOT a COURT OF LAW, 2: they sacrificed an unconvicted person's career for gain, 3: the station has patronized the public at the expense of an unconvicted citizen, 4: terminating him during this incident makes it look as if the station is acting as judge and jury, 5: making a political termination appear as sentence is immoral.
Channel 7 has handled this totally wrong. Though the evidence against Bill Kamal is overwhelming, the station's conviction and sentence did not impose justice, gain points with the public, protect their image, nor solve any internal problems (rather aired them).
Channel 7 has succeeded in spitting in that uniquely American assumption that everyone, no matter what they have done is presumed innocent until proven guilty. All Channel 7 did was not damage control but arrogantly appear as A COURT OF LAW.ˇ
Re: Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-27 02:53 pm (UTC)Re: Hi
Date: 2004-10-27 04:23 pm (UTC)Re: my 2 cents
Date: 2004-10-27 05:31 pm (UTC)He's finished. Better hang himself if he got some dignity left.
Re: my 2 cents
Date: 2004-10-27 05:42 pm (UTC)From what I understand, he held off on bail, because he fears for his safety *outside* of jail.
Re: Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-27 05:59 pm (UTC)In Channel 7's haste to look good in the public eye, they inadvertantly spat it it.{
Re: Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-27 10:54 pm (UTC)Re: Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-27 10:57 pm (UTC)Re: Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-28 06:20 am (UTC)So whatever reason Ch. 7 may have stated or didn’t state, WSVN made the right decision in removing him from the payroll. (Even a 10 year employee…) The laws are written to protect the employer, and it was simply in their best interest to do so.
Re: Channel 7 is NOT A COURT
Date: 2004-10-30 05:29 am (UTC)bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 01:52 am (UTC)my last lj post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/candy_angel_sfl/)
i found you on lj because i was searching news stories on this topic and you popped up in a search engine..
i am from ft laud too :)
Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 02:04 am (UTC)You're certainly entitled to a differing opinion, especially on something this sort of emotional subject.
According to the U.S. Attorney's affidavit, Kamal communicated by e-mail, instant messages and chatroom conversations.
He introduced himself to ''Billy'' by saying he's masculine, with a lean, ripped body, and that he was looking for a son to have sex with. He listed specific sex acts he desired.
He said he needed to be very discreet, adding, ``I could drive up there and meet you some weekend.''
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-ckamal26oct26,0,5323697.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla
has some details that are fairly damning.
"They exchanged e-mails and phone calls, and agreed to meet Sunday. "I can't wait to see you buddy and give you a big hug and a sweet passionate kiss," Kamal allegedly wrote. "Hopefully we will fall in love with each other and no one would know." He described the relationship as "a dad/son's love ... plus the sex."
Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 02:26 am (UTC)ok i looked into this over the last few weeks and found more details...
"Between Oct. 18 and Oct. 24, Kamal allegedly corresponded with Spectors fictitious persona several times by instant message, e-mail and telephone. Sometimes Kamal initiated the contacts, but at other times Spector initiated them, according to the affidavit.
During one chat at 6:42 p.m. on Oct. 18, Kamal said that he wanted to meet and give oral sex to the teen, the affidavit says.
Kamal allegedly initiated a chat with Spector on Oct. 19 and indicated he was nervous about being arrested and asked Spector to provide his address. After that contact, the affidavit includes no evidence of Kamal initiating contacts with Spector until the evening of Oct. 22.
But from the period of Oct. 19 to Oct. 22, Spector initiated several contacts with Kamal, the affidavit confirms. He made a phone call to Kamal on Oct. 19, disguising his voice to sound like a 14-year-old.
He e-mailed Kamal a fictitious address on Oct. 20, and he left two phone messages for Kamal during the evening of Oct. 20.
At 11:03 a.m. on Oct. 22, Spector initiated an online chat with Kamal and wrote, “ok. So are u goin to drive to see me Sunday.”
After expressing some hesitation and complaining that Spector had not yet sent him a picture of himself, Kamal finally agreed to meet the person he thought was the 14-year-old during an Oct. 23 chat, the affidavit says."
it seems to me mr kamal was wanting to do this, but he also was hesitating.. how do we know he was really going to act on his thoughts? maybe he would have backed out. ya know? did ya read my comment in my journal about it? i would post it here but i didnt want to monopolize your journal space!
nice to meet ya anyway :)
Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 02:31 am (UTC)I did read your comment, and your "Minority Report" analogy has a lot of merit. Where do you draw the line?
This case, in particular is interesting... How it turns out will be pretty educational, I think.
You're welcome to post your thoguhts in my journal space.. that's why the comments are active. I look forward to hearing other opinions.
Yeah, no drama, here!
Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 02:34 am (UTC)Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 02:35 am (UTC)thanks for the invite. if you'd like to add me you can read my lj also. its private right now :)
Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 02:41 am (UTC)Re: Hi
Date: 2004-11-05 03:02 am (UTC)Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 03:11 am (UTC)Re: bill kamal
Date: 2004-11-05 03:13 am (UTC)