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On Friday, September 29, former ABC News reporter, James Gordon Meek was sentenced to six years in prison after he admitted to trading child p*rnographic content, as per the New York Post. While James was given one more year than the minimum prison time for such cases, the Virginia US Attorney’s office had pleaded for a much heavier jail time of 12-15 years.
Disclaimer: This article contains information regarding child p*rnography. Readers' discretion is advised.
On the other hand, James Gordon Meek himself pleaded for a lesser time on the grounds that he had never been charged with another crime before this. As per Washington Post, following his sentencing, while asking for forgiveness from his victims and their families, Meek said the following:
“I was a journalist. I wrote countless stories about the misconduct of others. I broke federal law, I violated God’s law, and I undermined my own personal ethos of always helping others. … I need you to hold me accountable.”
Meek's lawyer, Eugene Gorokhov, said in a statement:
"Meek's criminal conduct in this case is completely at odds with his proven personal values."
The lawyer added that none of it is an excuse, but just explains the former news reporter’s behaviour. He also stated how Meek was a “doting father, who had a history of good deeds.”
James resigned from ABC News just after police and the authorities raided his home in Virginia and confiscated his electronics and other things on April 27, 2022.
James Gordon Meek was arrested after a tip-off from Dropbox
After the legal complaint against James Gordon Meek, an investigation began in March 2021, as the cloud storage company, Dropbox informed the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children about how Meek was uploading inappropriate content. The complaints against him also stated how he used to chat with minor girls and send them inappropriate messages.
Furthermore, authorities also discovered many images and videos of kids at Meek’s home when they raided his house.
As per New York Post, Meek's lawyer claimed that James Gordon trading inappropriate videos and chats was a result of his years as a war reporter which took a toll on him "in the form of his mental health.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors Zoe Bedell and Whitney Kramer made their own argument against Meek, stating:
“He clearly sought out individuals across the internet for the specific purpose of sharing and expanding his child s*xual abuse material collection for his s*xual gratification. Meek sent and received p*rnography of infants and toddlers as well as content depicting sadistic and masochistic abuse of prepubescent children.”
Furthermore, as per court documents, texts of Meek asking two teen girls, aged 14 and 15, to send him a picture of their privates. The same conversation also allegedly included a few videos of Meek holding his genitals.
At the moment, neither Meeks’ representatives, nor his family have spoken up about the sentence.
