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Broadway producer arrested on child pornography charges – Metro US

Broadway producer arrested on child pornography charges

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Broadway producer Ben Sprecher, who was embroiled in a 2012 theater scandal, is now facing federal child pornography charges. 

NBC reported Sprecher, 65, was arrested early Tuesday on a criminal complaint from the U.S. Attorney’s offices in New York City. His arrest came after investigators obtained a search warrant for his home on West 122nd street in Morningside Heights, where they allegedly found child pornography.

According to reports, Sprecher allegedly admitted that he had downloaded child porn files had more than 100 electronic files seized from his home. His stash of videos reportedly included a 46-minute long video of a pre-teen girl aged, between 10-12, engaging in “sexual acts” with an adult male.

Sprecher allegedly shared four of the files with an undercover agent in June, over the course of three days, according to the NY Post. It is believed that he had been accumulating these files since October 2018. 

Neighbors of Sprecher have recalled how important the internet was to him. In 2014, Sprecher reportedly reached out to neighbors and had them sign petitions to help them get faster internet. 

Sprecher made headlines as being involved the “Rebecca” Broadway scandal in which a $12 million musical was supposed to run in fall 2012, until it was discovered that the backer, Paul Abrams, never existed. 

An ex-stockbroker named Mark Hotton was charged in the fraud. Hotton was arrested for scamming Sprecher and others involved in the case. Hotton served two years and ten months in 2014, according to the NY Post. 

Co-producer Louise Forlenza and Sprecher sued Marc Thibodeau, the show’s publicist claiming, he used the scandal to scare away potential investors. The Manhattan Supreme Court awarded them $90,000 for the defamation claim when they asked for $10 million.   

The most recent project for Sprecher was a 2017 London stage adoption of “The Exorcist.” He was well-known as the executive producer of “Little House on the Prairie” tour and also produced Broadway’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs.’’