A FEDERAL JUDGE has sentenced former journalist James Gordon Meek to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Federal investigators first became aware of Meek’s possession of child sexual abuse imagery following a tip from the cloud storage provider, Dropbox, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which helps companies and law enforcement identify and prosecute child exploitation. Following the tip, FBI agents were able to link the Dropbox account containing the imagery to Meek.
After an April 2022 search of his Virginia home, FBI agents found a large cache of horrific child sexual abuse material on a number of electronic devices. Agents 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 reportedly discovered classified material on Meek’s laptop, sources told Rolling Stone at the time, an apparent byproduct of his work as a national security journalist. The Justice Department repeatedly insisted the raid had nothing to do with his profession.
Prosecutors charged Meek in February 2023 and charged him with transportation of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to one count each of distribution and possession of child pornography in July.
Meek worked as a reporter for New York Daily News and covered a variety of terrorism and national security stories before joining the House Homeland Security Committee as a staff investigator at the invitation of former Rep. Peter King. After leaving the committee, Meek worked for ABC News as a producer until he abruptly resigned without explanation following an FBI search of his home in the course of a child sexual abuse material investigation.