Federal Charges Filed Against Former Education Leader
By: Eric Deabill
Updated: December 5, 2012
Scranton, Lackawanna County - The criminal charges against a former education leader in Lackawanna County are mounting.
Mark Kandel was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in federal court on five counts of online enticement.
Prosecutors say the new charges could send Kandel to prison for the rest of his life if convicted.
Last month, the 52-year-old was charged by prosecutors in Lackawanna County court.
In court Wednesday, the federal judge used baseball terms to indicate this is a "whole new ballgame" with higher stakes.
Kandel pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was immediately taken to jail pending trial because the federal judge called him "a danger to the community."
"Obviously when you're looking at tens years to life on each count, it's very humbling," defense attorney Frank Santomauro said.
Exact details on each count and each victim were not made public in court paperwork but prosecutors say the case is "significant and mounting" with potentially even more victims.
Investigators accuse Kandel of contacting five seperate minors, all male, by text messages and Facebook.
In October alone, prosecutors say Kandel allegedly sent 12,000 text messages, 95-percent of which they say were to minors.
His attorney says the conversations will have to be closely monitored.
"What are you actually saying? Sometimes you're almost joking around. Are you saying something that is misconstrued? A lot of that, I'm sure, is in those discussions whether its from A to B," Santomauro said.
In November, state prosecutors arrested Kandel for allegedly having inappropriate conversations with a 17-year-old boy.
In 2008, Kandel pleaded guilty to providing alcohol to minors.
In ordering Kandel to prison pending trial, the federal magistrate called Kandel a "danger to the community."
"I don't feel Mark is a danger," Santomauro said. "I just think based on the charges that you have here, there's a lot of presumption."
In court, prosecutors indicate that Kandel even gave one boy a cell phone.
Jury selection is tentatively scheduled for February.
