“Glee” actor Mark Salling pleaded guilty in the child pornography case against him on Monday, admitting to possessing approximately 25,000 images of children engaged in sexual conduct, the U.S. department of Justice said.
Salling, who reached a plea agreement in October, specifically pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent
In October’s plea agreement, Salling acknowledged that he downloaded the images from the internet in 2015 and used software designed to conceal his activity. The collection was discovered on a laptop computer, a hard drive and a USB flash drive after Salling showed some of the images to a girlfriend, who reported the matter to local enforcement, according to the justice department.
Salling’s charge carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, but under the plea agreement the parties agreed that a four to seven-year prison sentence would be appropriate. Following Salling’s prison term, he will be subject to a 20-year period of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
A sentencing hearing has been set for March 7.