ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A former ABC News investigative journalist pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges on Friday, the Department of Justice said.
James Gordon Meek, 53, of Alexandria, used an online messaging app to send and receive images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to discuss his sexual interest in children, the DOJ said.
The DOJ says court documents show some of the images and videos were of children under the age of 12, including an infant.
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.
Meek is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29. The DOJ said he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment for each charge.