Reality TV star 'molested dozens of children and tried to give them HIV'

A reality TV contestant who worked at a school in Maryland is facing more than 100 counts of child sex abuse – including deliberately trying to infect his alleged victims with HIV.

Carlos Deangelo Bell, 30, is said to have molested at least seven children on the grounds of Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf, as well as at his home and at other locations.

One video recovered by police even allegedly shows Bell having sex with a boy in a classroom.

Investigators say 17 further child victims have been discovered.

Authorities announced a 119-count indictment against Bell, of Waldorf, on Monday (31 July).

They include 12 counts of child sexual abuse, 44 counts of filming child pornography, 38 counts of second-degree sex offences and three counts of transmitting or attempting to transmit HIV virus to another person.

The crimes allegedly took place over more than two years, from May 2015 to June 2017, with the victims all said to be boys who were "mostly middle schoolers and pre-adolescent students".

"These charges are horrific and I share in the disgust and outrage that our community is feeling," Charles County Public Schools Superintendent Kimberly Hill said in a letter to parents, posted on the school's webpage.

Bell's job involved working with students with special needs, police said. On top of working as a teacher's aide at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, he was also a track coach at La Plata High School.

It later emerged he was also once a contestant on the now cancelled CBS reality TV show The Job, where he attempted to land a "dream" role as a fashion stylist for Cosmopolitan magazine.

Bell was reported to police after a parent noticed suspicious text messages on a child's phone, investigators said. He was arrested in June, when he told officers he was HIV positive.

Police said material recovered from searches of his property contained images of Bell assaulting victims, including a video of Bell having sex with a child inside a classroom.

Bell's attorney, Jeffrey Griffith, said his client, who is being held without bond, is looking forward to fighting the allegations.