Former TV Weatherman Sentenced In Sex Crime
Bill Kamal Gets 5 Years In Prison, Lifetime Probation
POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2005
UPDATED: 9:40 am EST February 21,
2005
MIAMI -- A former South Florida meteorologist learned the price he will pay for arranging a sexual liaison with someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy.
Friday, a judge sentenced Bill Kamal, former WSVN weatherman, to five years in prison with no possibility of parole, plus probation for the rest of his life. He must also pay a $20,000 fine.
Kamal pleaded guilty in a plea deal knowing that he could face up to 30 years, with a five-year minimum mandatory sentence for child enticement.
Members of Kamal's family flew in from all over the country to support him and to speak on his behalf during the sentencing hearing.
At the sentencing, Kamal said he hoped he can restore his "goodness and purity."
"God wants that pure and innocent person he created returned," Kamal said.
Federal agents say Kamal tried to set up a meeting with a boy during a series of discussions over the phone and Internet. Kamal was arrested Oct. 24 when he showed up to meet the boy named "Billy" at a strip mall. Billy was actually a St. Lucie sheriff's detective.
Copyright 2005 by
Local10.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.