Child porn charges hit people in all walks of life.
Ever wonder which famous people have been charged with possessing child porn? We have some answers for you.
On Jan. 30 of this year, former Glee star Mark Salling hung himself prior to his scheduled March sentencing for possessing child porn. A Dallas native, Salling had pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child porn involving a prepubescent minor. Even with that plea bargain, he faced four to seven years in federal prison, 20 years of supervised release, registration as a sex offender, and a fine of $250,000.
As you can see, punishments for child porn can be severe.
Here’s a list of celebrities who have been charged or convicted of child pornography offenses in recent years:
Rapper R. Kelly was charged with statutory rape and possessing child porn in 2002. Reportedly, a video seemed to show Kelly having sex with an underage girl. In 2008, however, he was found not guilty.
British glam rocker Gary Glitter, best known for such hits as Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 1) and Do You Want to Touch Me, was convicted of downloading child porn in 1999 and served part of a three-year prison term. In 2015, he was sentenced to another 16 years in prison for various sex offenses involving children.
Actor and comedian Paul Reubens, known for his screen and stage persona as oddball man-boy Pee-Wee Herman, was charged with possessing child porn in 2003. He’d previously been arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in 1991. The child porn charge later was reduced to a misdemeanor obscenity charge. Reubens pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years probation, fined $100, and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Jeffrey Jones, an actor in such films as Beetlejuice and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, was arrested for possession of child porn in 2002. The misdemeanor charge later was dropped, but Jones was also accused of soliciting a boy, age 14, to pose for nude photos. In 2003, Jones pleaded no contest to the felony charge of soliciting a minor and sentenced to five years probation. He’s now a registered sex offender and twice has been arrested for failing to update his sex offender status.
Victor Salva, a director whose films include the 1995 Houston-made movie Powder, was convicted in 1988 on charges pertaining to sexual abuse of a male actor, videotaping the act, and possessing magazines and commercial videos with child porn. Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under age 14, and procuring a child for pornography. He served 15 months in prison after being sentenced to three years. In 1992, he completed his parole.
Jared Fogle, a former TV-ad pitchman for Subway restaurants, was arrested and pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child porn and sex acts with minors. He was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison, and entered prison in late 2015. He also was fined $175,000.
British rocker Pete Townshend, a founder of legendary band The Who, was charged with possessing child porn, but then cleared of the charge in 2003. He’d used a credit card on a child porn website, but said he did it to prove that credit card companies were accepting payments from such websites.
British actor and writer Chris Langham, known for his work on The Muppet Show, was imprisoned for 10 months in 2007 after being found guilty of 15 counts of downloading child porn. He claimed he’d done so to prepare for a role as a pedophile character.
The list goes on, but the point is made:
It doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity or regular citizen, being accused of possession or distribution of child porn is a serious charge.
Often, innocent people are subjected to child porn charge, too. If you need an experienced child porn defense lawyer for Houston, Harris County, Montgomery County or Fort Bend County, contact our law firm today for a confidential review of your case.