{"id":2052019,"date":"2023-10-02T07:25:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T11:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-abc-news-producer-sentenced-for-possession-of-child-porn\/"},"modified":"2023-10-02T07:28:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T11:28:23","slug":"former-abc-news-producer-sentenced-for-possession-of-child-porn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-abc-news-producer-sentenced-for-possession-of-child-porn\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-ABC News Producer Sentenced for Child Porn Possession"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-abc-news-producer-sentenced-for-possession-of-child-porn%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2052019&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A Former Investigative Producer for ABC News Sentenced\u200d to Six Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Material<\/h2>\n<p>A former investigative producer for ABC News, James Gordon Meek, 53, has been sentenced by \u200dsenior U.S. District Judge Claude \u2062M. Hilton to six years\u2062 in prison for the transportation and possession of\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-abc-investigative-journalist-faces-minimum-5-years-in-prison-in-child-pornography-case\/\" title=\"Ex-ABC Journalist Faces 5+ Years in Child Porn Case\">child\u2062 sexual abuse material<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>According \u2064to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edva\/pr\/former-journalist-sentenced-possessing-child-sexual-abuse-material\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press release<\/a> posted\u200d by the\u200b U.S. Attorney&#8217;s \u2062Office\u200c of the Eastern District of Virginia on \u2063September 29, Mr. Meek used an online messaging platform on his iPhone to send and receive \u2062explicit images and videos of\u2064 minors while visiting\u2062 South Carolina in February 2020.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some of the images and\u2064 videos depicted \u2063minors under the \u2064age of 12, including an infant. He also reportedly used the platform to discuss his sexual interest in children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/former-abc-reporter-pleads-guilty-to-possessing-child-pornography-5413907?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Former ABC Reporter Pleads \u200dGuilty to \u200bPossessing Child Pornography<\/strong><\/a>  -\u2064 7\/21\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/former-abc-news-reporter-arrested-over-child-pornography-charge-5025962?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Former ABC News Reporter Hit With Child Pornography Charge<\/strong><\/a>  \u2062 &#8211; 2\/1\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>The press release further states that Mr. Meek transported the iPhone\u200c containing \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/second-minor-sues-twitter-over-sex-trafficking-on-social-media-site\/\" title=\"Second Minor Sues Twitter Over Sex Trafficking On Social Media Site\">child sexual abuse material<\/a> with\u200c him when\u200b he \u2063returned from South Carolina \u200bto his residence\u2063 in\u200c Arlington, Northern Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Meek\u2064 was\u200b also found to possess \u2063multiple electronic devices\u2063 with explicit images and videos of \u200bminors.<\/p>\n<p>He pleaded guilty to using an online messaging platform to send and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/r-kelly-found-guilty-on-child-pornography-and-enticement-charges\/\" title=\"R Kelly Found Guilty on Child Pornography and Enticement Charges\">receive child porn<\/a>, according to\u2063 a plea agreement made public on July 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>At the time, he also acknowledged \u2062knowingly violating 18 U.S. Code \u00a7 2252, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-abc-news-producer-sentenced-for-possession-of-child-porn\/\" title=\"Ex-ABC News Producer Sentenced for Child Porn Possession\">outlaws transporting \u200cchild\u2064 porn<\/a> and knowingly possessing or accessing\u2062 child\u2064 porn \u2062&#8221;with intent to view.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Assistant U.S. \u200dAttorney \u2064Zoe Bedell \u200band Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer for the Department of Justice&#8217;s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case. They argued for a sentence of at least 16 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>In court documents filed\u2064 on \u2063September 25, Mr. Meek&#8217;s attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, argued for the minimum sentence of five years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:400px\" class=\"alignright\"><figcaption>Former ABC News investigative producer James Gordon\u200c Meek has been sentenced to six years in \u2064prison for transportation \u2062and possession of child sexual abuse material.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office&#8217;s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is made up of \u200bFBI agents,\u2063 along with other \u200dfederal agents and detectives \u200cfrom northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>It was brought as\u2064 part of\u2062 an operation \u200ccalled Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide effort to stem\u2063 abuse and exploitation of children. Launched in 2006 by the Department of \u200dJustice, Project Safe Childhood is led by U.S. prosecutors and \u2064the agency&#8217;s Child\u2062 Exploitation and Obscenity Section.<\/p>\n<h2>Tip\u2064 from Dropbox<\/h2>\n<p>Authorities\u2063 were initially\u200c alerted\u200b to \u2063Mr. Meek&#8217;s activities in 2021 by the file \u200dhosting service Dropbox, who found an account\u2063 containing explicit material depicting\u200c minors. Dropbox notified the FBI.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>After\u2062 investigating the IP \u200caddresses associated\u200c with the Dropbox account,\u2062 Mr. Meek was identified.<\/p>\n<p>A search warrant was subsequently \u2063executed at Mr. Meek&#8217;s home in Arlington,\u200d Virginia, \u2064on April 27, 2022. Mr. Meek was later arrested in January 2023 and held by \u200dauthorities throughout \u2063the trial \u2064and sentencing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>According to\u2063 an\u2063 April 29, \u20622013, <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/blogs\/headlines\/2013\/04\/abc-news-expands-its-award-winning-investigative-unit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> by ABC News, \u2064James Gordon Meek was hired\u200b to \u200bjoin \u200dthe ABCs Washington\u2063 bureau as an investigative producer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Previously, \u200che had been employed as a\u2064 reporter for the New York Daily News, and a \u2063senior counterterrorism advisor and investigator for the House Committee on \u200cHomeland Security.<\/p>\n<p>A spokeswoman \u200cfor \u200dABC News previously told The Epoch Times the company employed \u200dMr. Meek \u2064until April 2022. He\u200c left the publication around\u200b the same time his house was raided, with \u200dhis last story for the outlet published on April 14, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times reached out to ABC \u200cNews for further comment but did not receive \u200ca reply time before publication.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How can law enforcement agencies prioritize the investigation and prosecution of individuals involved in child exploitation crimes<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ith assistance from the\u2063 Arlington County Police \u200cDepartment. The \u2062investigation began in\u2063 February 2020 after \u200ba tip was received about\u2063 Mr. Meek&#8217;s activities on the online messaging\u200b platform. The subsequent search of \u2063his residence \u200dresulted in\u200c the \u200ddiscovery of the explicit material and electronic \u200cdevices.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Meek will also be subject \u2063to 20 years of supervised release and must \u2063register \u2063as a sex offender. He will also be required to undergo treatment and\u2062 counseling for his \u2062sexual \u200binterests as part of\u200d his\u2063 release \u2064conditions.<\/p>\n<p>This case\u2062 highlights the disturbing reality of child \u200bsexual\u200b abuse material and the \u2063individuals\u2062 involved in\u2062 its production,\u200b distribution, and consumption. The exploitation and victimization \u2062of children is a grave offense that can have lasting and devastating impacts on their lives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-related-posts\">\n<blockquote>\n<h2>More on this topic<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/justice-dept-announces-global-operation-against-child-pornography_5360035.html?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Justice\u200b Dept. Announces Global Operation Against Child Pornography<\/strong><\/a>    &#8211; \u20647\/15\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/tech-companies-join-forces-to-combat-child-sex-abuse-materials_5417473.html?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Tech Companies Join Forces to\u200d Combat Child \u2062Sex Abuse Materials<\/strong><\/a>    &#8211; 7\/23\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>It is crucial that\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-6-members-of-congress-could-help-determine-the-fate-of-qualified-immunity\/\" title=\"These 6 Members Of Congress Could Help Determine The Fate Of Qualified Immunity\">law enforcement agencies continue<\/a> to prioritize the\u200d investigation and prosecution of individuals involved in child exploitation \u2063crimes. By identifying and bringing these individuals to justice, we\u200c can help protect vulnerable children and prevent further harm.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, public awareness and education about the dangers and consequences of child sexual abuse material are crucial in combatting this issue. It is essential \u200dfor individuals to understand the severe \u200clegal and moral\u2062 implications\u200c of engaging in such behavior.<\/p>\n<p>The sentencing of \u200bJames Gordon Meek serves as a reminder that no \u200bone is above the law, regardless of their\u200c professional background. It\u200b is important to hold individuals accountable for their actions and ensure that justice is served\u200c for the victims \u200binvolved.<\/p>\n<p>Parents and caregivers should also be vigilant in monitoring their children&#8217;s online\u2064 activities\u2063 and maintaining open lines of\u200d communication to protect them from potential predators and inappropriate content.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the sentencing of a former investigative producer for ABC News to six years in prison for\u2062 child sexual abuse material is a significant step\u2062 towards combatting the exploitation of children. This case reinforces the importance of\u2063 continued efforts \u2064to investigate and prosecute \u2064individuals involved in these heinous crimes, as \u200bwell\u2062 as \u200dthe need for public awareness and education. \u200cBy \u200dworking together, we \u2064can protect children and create a safer society \u200dfor all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Gordon Meek, a former ABC News producer, has been sentenced to six years in prison by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material. The U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia released a statement on Sept. 29 regarding the case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2454,"featured_media":2052020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2052019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2052019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2052019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2052019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2052020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2052019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2052019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2052019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}