James Gordon Meek, the award-winning former ABC News journalist who plead guilty to child porn charges over the summer, has been sentenced to a paltry six years in prison.
“According to court documents, while visiting South Carolina in February 2020, James Gordon Meek, 53, used an online messaging platform on his iPhone to send and receive images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to discuss his sexual interest in children,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia reads.
“Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors and minors under the age of 12, including an infant being raped. Meek brought the iPhone containing the child sexual abuse material back with him when he returned to Virginia. Additionally, Meek possessed multiple electronic devices containing images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” the press release continues.
Former Journalist Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material https://t.co/gPDBo96XXV
— U.S. Attorney EDVA (@EDVAnews) September 29, 2023
According to Rolling Stone magazine, investigators first became aware of Meek’s bad behavior when Dropbox, a cloud storage provider, offered a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
It turned out Meek had stored inappropriate pictures on his Dropbox account. Using that connection, the authorities were able to track him down to his Virginia home, which they subsequently raided in April of 2022.
At his home, the authorities “found a large cache of horrific child sexual abuse material on a number of electronic devices,” according to Rolling Stone.
They also “discovered evidence of Meek’s attempts to trade the imagery with another pedophile and solicit new imagery from underage girls while posing as a child on social media.”
Investigators also found classified material related to his work on his laptop. When news of this first leaked in October of 2022 — before anyone knew about the child pornography — reports emerged about an “award-winning” journalist “who was writing a book on President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan” suddenly disappearing following an FBI raid.
ABC journo investigating Biden’s Afghan withdrawal ‘falls off the face of the earth’ after FBI raid https://t.co/R5JvZyRvCv pic.twitter.com/CsWp89TZfM
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) October 20, 2022
Months later in February of 2023, prosecutors finally charged him with transportation of child pornography. He subsequently “pleaded guilty to one count each of distribution and possession of child pornography in July,” Rolling Stone notes.
Meek previously worked as an ABC News producer up until he suddenly resigned without an explanation after his home was raided in 2022. Prior to that, he was a New York Daily News terrorism and national security reporter. He later worked in the House Homeland Security Committee as an investigator.
Here’s where things take an even darker and more twisted turn.
According to The Washington Post, federal prosecutors had sought between 12-1/2 and 16 years for Meek, arguing that Meek had shared “images and videos of prepubescent children, including infants, being forcibly raped and exploited for the sexual pleasure of adults on the internet.”
“The first time was being abused and the second time is the ongoing anxiety due to the images of my abuse forever accessible,” one of his victims reportedly told investigators.
In a court filing, federal prosecutors Zoe Bedell and Whitney Kramer added, “Not only were they traumatized by the initial sexual abuse that was captured on film, but they are also further victimized through the ongoing distribution and consumption of depictions of their abuse.”
And yet he only got six years. The public is NOT pleased:
Should’ve been life ♂️
— James Seaton (@Athena2Alastor) September 30, 2023
Simply 6 years? These types of people get out of jail and do this again. It’s a never-ending cycle for them.
— Cyndee (@Liberty_Belle04) October 1, 2023
Six years? That is it? That guy deserved twice that, at least. He will be back in the streets before the 2028 Presidential election
— Daniel R. Street (@DanielRStreet1) September 30, 2023
This is a joke of a sentence!! He should’ve got the max sentence with no question! I’m sure it was a Liberal friendly judge also!!
— Brad (@Brad18123777) September 30, 2023
THIS is why ABC and other “news” networks said #Pizzagate wasn’t real. They were protecting themselves and their friends. #LizCrokin was right about everything. #SoundOfFreedom #SaveTheChildren #SaveOurChildren
— JustMe (@HollyKai2) September 30, 2023
Should have gotten the wood chipper pic.twitter.com/lklNEKHmHn
— JimmieDossHotep (@JimmieDoss) September 30, 2023
Meek has for his part begged for forgiveness.
“To those whose victimization I have contributed to with each click online, I beg you to forgive me. I am sincerely sorry for all I have done so egregiously wrong, which has caused so much harm to you,” he said in court, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Meek’s attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, was thrilled by the paltry sentence and reportedly praised the judge for recognizing “that Mr. Meek’s worst moments do not define him.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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