A 23-year-old Mineola man who works as a daycare monitor confessed to investigators that he has been trading and viewing child pornography of children as young as infants for eight years, federal officials said Friday.
Michael Hopkins, who until recently worked at a nonprofit group’s program based within Sunquam Elementary School in Melville, was released on $300,000 bail, secured by his parent’s home, following his initial appearance at federal court in Central Islip. The school is part of the Half Hollow Hills School district.
advertisement
Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson ordered Hopkins to home detention with no Internet and no contact with kids. He will also be subject to random visits by authorities who will monitor his parents’ computer. Hopkins lives with his parents, where his mother reportedly baby-sits children.
Hopkins’ arrest was a result of a yearlong investigation. Suffolk police discovered that Hopkins used the name “Mike23NY” in chat rooms frequented by pedophiles and police in Florida has Hopkins send them child pornography, according to court documents. He also used the names “LINYGUY” and “Craftymofo.”
In December, Hopkins told an undercover detective with Suffolk police whom he was chatting with online that he was meeting a 14-year-old in Coram for sex, but there is no indication from the federal arrest warrant that any of the images found on Hopkins’ computer were created by him.
Hopkins is being represented by public defenders and his next court date has yet to be scheduled.
