Mark Salling, Former ‘Glee’ Star, Indicted For Child Pornography Possession

Mark Salling, the ex-Glee actor, was reportedly charged on Friday with receiving and possessing child pornography — following an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Mark Salling Indicted For Child Pornography Possession

Salling’s home was searched after his Dec. 29 arrest, and investigators confiscated the actor’s laptop, hard drive, and USB flash drive. Investigators say the contents of Salling’s devices held thousands of pictures and videos depicting child pornography.

The indictment states Salling had at least one photo and video of “a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.”

Lt. Andrea Grossman, commander of the LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children task force, told The Hollywood Reporter in an email on Thursday that the case had been transferred to federal authorities.

U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker issued a press release regarding the indictment on Friday.

“Those who download and possess child pornography create a market that causes more children to be harmed,” Decker declared in the statement. “Young victims are harmed every time an image is generated, every time it is distributed and every time it is viewed.”

The statement explains that the indictment is an allegation that Salling committed the crime, but “every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.”

Salling is looking at a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison for the charge of receiving child pornography if convicted. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you hurt a child you will be held accountable,” Lt. Grossman remarked in the release. “These images are more than photographs, they are child abuse.”

Salling is expected to hand himself over to federal authorities and be arraigned on June 3.