Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Broadway Producer Arrested On Child Porn Charges In Early Morning Raid
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Aug 13, 2019
Modified Aug 13, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
left
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Aug 13, 2019
Modified Aug 13, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Broadway producer Ben Sprecher was arrested on child porn charges on Tuesday, following an early morning raid at his Morningside Heights home, officials said.
Law enforcement sources confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations agents and NYPD officers executed a search warrant on Sprecher's West 122nd Street home, arresting him on federal child porn charges.
He is currently awaiting an arraignment before a Southern District of New York judge, officials said. Additional details about the complaint were not immediately available.
Sprecher's lengthy Broadway resume includes production credits on the Tony-nominated "Fortune's Fool," as well as "Sly Fox," "The Odd Couple," and the Kevin Spacey vehicle, "A Moon for the Misbegotten."
But he is likely best known for his connection to the failed musical "Rebecca." After spending millions and lining up a cast, Sprecher learned that he'd been scammed by a Long Island stockbroker, Mark Hotton. The production was ultimately pulled, after the broker claimed the lead investor had died of malaria. Hotton later pled guilty, in what the Times described as "the most audacious fraud ever to sink a Broadway show."
“Do I feel like I was duped? I was duped. I was raped," Sprecher told the paper in an interview following the scandal.
More recently, Sprecher was reportedly seeking to open an "old world family restaurant for the Instagram age" in Rockefeller Center.
Tagged
ben sprecher
broadway
hsi
nypd
sdny
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Buzzer beater? MTA vows to turn this SoHo pit into a basketball court in 30 days.
Grand Canal Court has been closed since 2022.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Nov 2, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NYC's school PTA fundraising gap is growing, mirroring broader racial disparities
The average white student benefited from about $250 in PTA money over the last school year, more than five times what the average Black student received.
By
Joe Hong
News
NYC's school PTA fundraising gap is growing, mirroring broader racial disparities
The average white student benefited from about $250 in PTA money over the last school year, more than five times what the average Black student received.
By
Joe Hong
MTA should eliminate some jobs to prepare for budget woes, watchdog writes
By
Stephen Nessen
NYC Council to scrutinize snow removal plans as winter approaches
By
Catalina Gonella
'The best day of the year': Inside Clinton Hill's 'mile nine' NYC marathon party
By
Stephanie Keith
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .