Two Years After His Arrest, 'Glee' Actor Finally Pleads Guilty To Child Porno Charges
He initially pleaded not guilty after he was indicted for two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography last year.
By Samantha Khor — 06 Oct 2017, 01:20 PM
'Glee' actor Mark Salling, who plays Noah "Puck" Puckerman in the hit TV show, has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges that resulted from his 2015 arrest
Deadline reported that the actor stated that he is "pleading guilty because I am guilty of the charges" and accepting “48-84 months of imprisonment".
A 20-page plea deal dated 3 October states that, "Defendant knowingly possessed matters which the defendant knew contained visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct." The full document, obtained by Deadline, can be viewed here.
Salling was arrested at his Los Angeles home under suspicion of possessing child pornography on 29 December 2015
Buzzfeed News reported that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) served a search warrant at the actor's residence after investigating a tip from a woman who was reportedly shown the content multiple times.
Though he was initially released on bail, federal authorities took over the case when investigators realised how much illicit content he was in possession of.
On 31 May 2016, Salling was charged with two counts for receiving and possessing child pornography on his laptop computer and a flash memory drive. Back then, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the US Attorney Office, the federal indictment alleged that Salling used the Internet to receive a pornographic still image and a video of a young girl on 26 December 2015. The second count charges him with possessing two pornographic videos depicting young girls on 29 December 2015.
In addition, authorities reportedly found over 50,000 images and videos of child pornography on the actor's laptop, as well as an additional 4,000 images and 160 videos on a thumb drive. Federal prosecutors said that some of the victims were between three and five years old.
Salling has also admitted to using software to hide his IP when downloading child pornography.
Now that he has entered a plea deal, Salling will likely serve "48 to 87 months" in jail, hence avoiding what could have been a maximum 20-year sentence and a lifetime of supervision upon release
Though the plea agreement still needs a formal approval by a federal judge, it will require Salling to register as a sex offender when he is released from jail. He will also have to pay USD50,000 to each victim should they request of it upon sentencing.
In addition, the actor will have to undergo a treatment program and stay away from venues frequented by minors such as schools and video arcade facilities. Any computers or related digital devices that he uses will also be subject to a "search and seizure" at any time, barring those used by his employers.