On Friday, the former ABC journalist and investigative reporter, James Gordon Meek, pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges.
In April of 2022, a magistrate judge in the Virginia Eastern District Court approved a search warrant for his Arlington penthouse apartment. Following this lightning raid by the FBI, Meek went missing and his laptop was seized as evidence.
Meek had achieved notable success during his career with ABC News he produced the Hulu documentary “3212 Unredacted” which investigated and uncovered details on the Pentagon coverup of US special forces deaths in Niger in 2017. This groundbreaking work had earned him an Emmy award.
The New York Post reported that if agents got hold of Meek’s records, it would have been approved by US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco – a clear indication that this case was being taken seriously at the highest levels.
The Rolling Stone also reported on Meek’s disappearance shortly after the raid took place, noting that many were concerned about what could have happened to him after going missing so suddenly.
Now with confirmation of his plea agreement to federal child pornography charges, we can begin to understand some of what may have led up to this moment.
It is unclear at this time how much prison time he will serve or if any other mitigating factors are involved in his sentencing decision due later this year.
ABC News reported:
A former investigative journalist for ABC News pleaded guilty Friday to federal child pornography charges.
James Gordon Meek, 53, of Arlington, Virginia, admitted in U.S. District Court in Alexandria that he illegally possessed and transported child pornography. He covered national security issues for the network until he resigned last year.
Court papers indicate the investigation began when the FBI received a tip from Dropbox about videos showing the sexual abuse of children in an account associated with Meek.
As part of a plea agreement, Meek admitted he used an iPhone to exchange child pornography, including a video showing the sexual abuse of an infant, during a chat session with two other individuals.
An FBI affidavit indicates that agents founds dozens of child pornography images and videos when they searched Meek’s home last year, going back to at least 2014.
