LOS ANGELES (CNS) – “Glee” actor Mark Wayne Salling pleaded not guilty today to federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography on his laptop computer. Salling, 33, of Shadow Hills, best known for his role as Noah `”Puck” Puckerman on the now-defunct television show, was named in a two-count indictment returned last week by a federal grand jury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. Magistrate Judge Rozella A. Oliver set trial for July 12 and allowed Salling to be released on a $150,000 bond. The actor surrendered to authorities at the downtown federal courthouse earlier in the day, as previously arranged. The charges stem from a raid on the actor’s home in December. Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force allegedly found thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography, police said.
Once investigators realized the scope of the collection of child pornography, the matter was referred to federal authorities for further action. Salling is accused of receiving at least one illicit image and a pornographic video of young girls via the Web, and being in possession of a 16- gigabyte USB flash drive that contained two videos showing girls who were younger than 12, according to the May 27 indictment. If convicted of the federal charges, Salling faces up to 20 years in federal prison, authorities said.
“The traditional stereotype about the kinds of people who commit child sexual exploitation crimes simply doesn’t dovetail with reality,” said Joseph Macias, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles. “As our investigators can attest, the defendants in child pornography cases come in all ages and from all walks of life,” he said.
“While people are often surprised when high-profile individuals come under scrutiny in such investigations, we hope cases like this will raise awareness about law enforcement’s vigilance to combat the online sexual exploitation of children and hold those involved, regardless of their position, accountable for their actions.”