Viswa Vanapalli
In 2012, a years-long investigation led to startling discoveries about a well-respected educator in Peckville, Pennsylvania. Mark Kandel seemed to have everything going for him, only to lose it all overnight because of what he did. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry: What Happened Off Camera’ focuses on all that led to Mark’s arrest and what happened in the aftermath. So, if you’re curious to find out more, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Mark Kandel?
Mark Kandel was married to Marisa Burke; by all accounts, they seemed to have a perfect life. The couple lived in Northeast Pennsylvania and raised two daughters together. Mark had a Doctorate in Learning Disabilities and Special Education and worked as a Behavior Management Specialist at Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit. During the 1990s, he had been on the school board in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
It started in 2008 when the authorities looked into Mark being accused of sending obscene texts to a 17-year-old boy. The police had learned that Mark told teenage boys they would look good in Calvin Klein underwear and would take them out shopping to buy the underwear and compression shorts. It was also reported that at one point, Mark allegedly provided alcohol to minors at a party at his home. For that, he received a 90-day home confinement sentence and nine months probation.
At the time, the family stood behind Mark and believed the accusation was untrue. He told Marisa that the 17-year-old boy showed up at their home and began drinking, later claiming Mark gave him the liquor. However, in November 2012, Mark was arrested after the authorities learned many more disturbing things. Another teenage boy, who was 17 at the time, spoke to the authorities after having some contact with Mark. According to the boy, Mark had helped with his college essay but then started sending crude texts and asking to exchange naked photos.
After that, the father of two sent the boy a picture of himself in compression underwear. At the time, Mark asked the boy to meet up, and the teenager thought it was to perform sexual activities. The authorities found hundreds of messages on the teenager’s phone, and they were only from October 2012. They undertook an undercover investigation that eventually led to Mark’s arrest. The police stated that Mark sent over 13,000 messages to 17 underage boys in 2012, with many of them being sexual. These messages are usually sent via phone or Facebook.
Mark Kandel is Still in Jail
In June 2013, Mark pleaded guilty to online enticement of a minor in a plea deal that had the prosecutors dropping other counts of online enticement. In October of the same year, then 53, Mark was sentenced to serve 14 and a half years in federal prison. During court proceedings, the 17-year-old boy talked about his struggles in the aftermath, mentioning the ridicule he faced and how he tried to kill himself. Mark’s daughter was also present and said she was ashamed to call him a father.
As for Mark, he was apologetic and said in court, “I take full responsibility for my inappropriate behavior. I have fallen as low as a person can fall. I lost my family, friends, reputation, employment, and freedom. I express deep regrets for the pain and suffering I have caused them.” Prison records indicate that Mark remains incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and is eligible for release in October 2024. In early 2021, his petition for early release was denied. At the time, Mark claimed that he was more susceptible to COVID-19 due to asthma and sarcoidosis.
Read More: Where is Marisa Burke Now?
