Once-Acclaimed ABC News Reporter Will Plead Guilty in Horrific Child Porn Case
Former ABC News reporter James Gordon Meek, once renowned for his national security journalism, is now entangled in a disturbing case involving child pornography and unsettling messages that hint at his alleged perverted desires.
The 53-year-old journalist is set to appear in a Virginia federal court later this week to change his plea to guilty, according to the New York Post.
The court docket has indicated that Meek has negotiated a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Having previously entered a plea of innocent to the child pornography charges, Meek is now slated to participate in a “change of plea hearing” before U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton in Alexandria, Va.
If he had faced a conviction at trial, Meek could have been sentenced to a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. However, by opting for a plea deal, he might secure a more lenient sentence.
The shocking charges against Meek came to light in February, nearly 10 months after federal authorities executed a raid at his Arlington residence on April 27, 2022, seizing his electronic devices.
The investigation was sparked by Dropbox, which alerted officials to the presence of child pornography content on Meek’s account.
Subsequent scrutiny of Meek’s phone unveiled alarming conversations that indicated his depraved intentions to sexually harm children, according to the Post.
The FBI affidavit, filed around the time of his arrest, detailed distressing messages in which Meek allegedly received and sent explicit photos and videos of minors, the newspaper reported.
One particularly alarming message included an unsettling inquiry about raping a toddler girl, according to the Post.
Beyond the disturbing conversations, authorities discovered Meek’s stash of child pornography images and videos on other electronic devices, the Post reported.
They also found evidence of conversations with minors on various chat platforms, further fueling their concern about Meek’s potential danger to young individuals.
Prior to this lurid turn of events, Meek had established a prestigious journalism career.
In 2006, while working at the New York Daily News, he made headlines by breaking the news about an al-Qaeda plot to bomb New York City’s tunnels.
His expertise in national security led to a role as a senior counterterrorism advisor and investigator for the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security in 2011.
In recognition of his impactful work, Meek received an Emmy award in 2017 for his breaking news coverage of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
Predictably, the raid on his home and the subsequent charges prompted Meek’s swift resignation from ABC News.
As the date for the change of plea hearing approaches, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia has confirmed the scheduled proceeding, but no further details have been divulged.
Meek’s criminal defense attorney has remained tight-lipped about the case and has not responded to requests for comment from various media organizations, according to the Post.
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