ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WRIC) — A former ABC News investigative journalist pleaded guilty to charges related to child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) Friday.
According to the United States Department of Justice, 53-year-old James Gordon Meek of Arlington County pleaded guilty to charges of transportation and possession of CSAM on Friday, July 21. He is facing a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for each charge.
According to court documents, Meek used his iPhone to discuss his sexual attraction to children, as well as send and receive CSAM, over the internet while visiting South Carolina in February 2020.
Meek’s phone contained images and videos depicting prepubescent minors and children under the age of 12, including an infant, being sexually abused. Meek brought the phone back with him when he returned to his home in Virginia, where he possessed more electronic devices contained images and videos of minors being sexually abused.
According to the Associated Press, Meek had previously worked for ABC News as an investigative journalist, as well as at New York Daily News and the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. He resigned from ABC News in 2022, around the same time his home was searched by the FBI.
Meek is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29.
