NORRISTOWN — A disgraced former Pennsylvania State Police trooper admitted to multiple crimes, including possessing child sexual abuse material and lewd images and videos he created using artificial intelligence on his work computer at the state police barracks in Skippack Township.
Stephen M. Kamnik, 39, of Havertown, Delaware County, showed no visible emotion in a Montgomery County courtroom as he pleaded guilty to charges of possessing child pornography, unlawful use of a computer, receiving stolen property, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, official oppression, criminal trespass, wiretap violations, invasion of privacy and misapplication of entrusted property in connection with incidents that occurred over the course of several years while he was stationed as a corporal at the Skippack Township barracks.
Wearing a maroon jailhouse jumpsuit, Kamnik, under questioning by Senior Deputy Attorney General James Price, specifically admitted to all of the allegations contained in a 31-page affidavit of probable cause. Kamnik pleaded guilty to 15 separate charges — nine felonies and six misdemeanors.
Kamnik admitted he illegally entered the female locker rooms at barracks in Skippack and Media, Delaware County, “on numerous occasions while on duty in order to enter the lockers of female co-workers, remove their undergarments and surreptitiously photograph and record those undergarments,” according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Kamnik, according to the criminal complaint, secretly audio and video recorded female citizens and female co-workers, “in which not only their conversations were captured but also attempts at recording their intimate parts all without their consent or knowledge.”
In the affidavit of probable cause, authorities said Kamnik “repeatedly utilized his authority as a law enforcement officer to order female citizens … who were in his custody and care to open their mouths wide and stick out their tongues while audio and visually recording them without their knowledge or consent.”
Kamnik admitted that he illegally duplicated 517 photos from state police databases of female citizens and at least one female trooper, using a workstation computer, and transferred them to an unapproved personal electronic device.
Authorities said Kamnik also used his workstation computer to conduct his unapproved secondary business of owning, maintaining and selling online web domains.
Additionally, Kamnik used his workstation computer for his personal sexual gratification by creating A.I.-generated pornography of numerous female citizens.
When alerted to the investigation into his actions, Kamnik destroyed a crucial external hard drive and evidence related to his conduct, according to testimony.
Among the materials found by investigators was an unlawfully recorded video of a Montgomery County magisterial district judge during a court proceeding, which Kamnik also edited for apparent lewd purposes, authorities alleged.
Investigators also discovered that Kamnik possessed a .22-caliber handgun, which was reported stolen during a burglary in Berks County in 2010.
The open guilty plea means Kamnik has no deals with prosecutors from the state attorney general’s office who are handling the case. Kamnik potentially faces decades in prison on the charges.
County Judge Todd D. Eisenberg deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Kamnik, who also must undergo an evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets the criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator.
Those classified as predators face more stringent restrictions while on probation and parole, including mandatory counseling and community notification about their housing arrangements.
Regardless of the sentence that Kamnik eventually receives, he faces a 15-year requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan’s Law.
Kamnik remains in the county jail without bail while awaiting his sentencing hearing later this year.
After the hearing, Price, who is a former Montgomery County prosecutor, referred all questions to the attorney general’s office.
“This defendant pleaded guilty to the full scope of conduct outlined in charging documents — and in regards to all in-person victims,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a prepared statement. “These crimes stain the great work being done by law enforcement every day in communities across the Commonwealth.”
State police, in consultation with the Office of Attorney General, filed charges against Kamnik last year.
Currently, Kamnik is suspended without pay.
Price, of the attorney general’s public corruption section, was assisted in the case by Deputy Attorney General Kimberly Moraski, of the child predator section.
