Former ABC News Producer Pleads Guilty in Child Pornography Case

A disgraced Arlington, Virginia, journalist accepted a deal from prosecutors today, and pleaded guilty to transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material.

James Gordon Meek, 53, is a former producer for ABC News. He was arrested by authorities in February, and was formally indicted on three criminal counts a month later.

Federal authorities first raided Meek's home in April of 2022.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Meek "used an online messaging platform on his iPhone to send and receive images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to discuss his sexual interest in children."

The statement confirms that some of the images and videos depicted "prepubescent minors and minors under the age of 12, including an infant being raped."

Federal prosecutors said Meek brought the iPhone containing the child sexual abuse material back with him while he was working for ABC News.

Meek also "possessed multiple electronic devices containing images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct."

Under the terms of the deal, a distribution charge was dismissed against Meek, who is set to be sentenced on Sept. 29.

Meek faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years for each of the two charges.

In a statement a spokesperson for the the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Easter District of Virginia said, "We're extremely grateful for the hard work of our prosecutors and investigative agents in securing the plea agreement accepted by the Court today.

"The length of the investigation and prosecutorial effort is a testament to the care and diligence the case team took in proving the facts of this case while respecting and preserving the constitutional rights afforded the defendant, as a private citizen and as a journalist."