Mark Salling, known for playing Puck on Glee, was indicted on Friday for possessing thousands of images of child porn. (Getty)
On May 27, 2016, TMZ revealed that former Glee star Mark Salling, who played Puck on the hit FOX show, was indicted for possessing child pornography.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. He Is Indicted On 2 Counts of Child Porn
Mark Salling — Indicted for Child Porn
According to TMZ, a federal grand jury indicted Salling on two counts of child porn. He was taken into custody on the morning of December 29, 2015, and posted his $20,000 bail by 2:30pm that same afternoon.
Within hours, Deadline reported that Salling had been dropped from the film Gods and Secrets, by Adi Shankar.
A portion of Shankar’s statement read, “Adi Shankar’s Gods and Secrets will be moving forward without Mark Salling. He has been cut from the mini-series, I will personally be paying for the reshoots, and I hope that Mark finds inner peace. Furthermore, a percentage of profits from the project will go to a charity for abused children. Hopefully some good will come of all of this and I pray that when the dust has settled, the hyper-connectivity of the information age that has brought to light the transgressions of several public figures, will also force us to look within our society to identify and eliminate the root cause of the rape culture we exist in.”
2. His Laptop Contained Thousands of Images and Videos of Children
Salling was released on a $20,000 bail. (Instagram)
Police obtained a search warrant in late December for a home in Sunland, California. TMZ writes, “Salling’s laptop was seized last year, and allegedly contained thousands of images and videos of child porn. One count involves a flash drive which allegedly contained images involving a prepubescent minor and a minor under 12.”
3. He Was Freed on Bail After Being Arrested in December of 2015
Salling first appeared on Glee in 2008, and played a series regular role until Season 5. (FOX)
According to US Magazine, “Salling was arrested back in December after a concerned citizen alerted the Internet Crimes Against Children LAPD task force that the actor had an extensive collection of child pornography.” Salling’s family posted 10% of his bail, and were the ones who retrieved him from the prison. The 33-year-old was booked at 9:47 am and released around 2:30pm, according to US Weekly.
4. It’s Not His First Run-In With the Law
The actor faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. (Getty)
In 2011, a woman named Roxanne Gorzela said that she, “hooked up with Mark and she consented to having sex but he did not want to wear a condom and forced unprotected sex anyway.” TMZ writes that the woman went to find Salling at his apartment a couple days later, since she was concerned she may have contracted an STD. It was at that point that Salling apparently “threw her to the ground, severely injuring her knees.” Salling denied the allegations, and claimed that the woman broke into his apartment and attacked him on her own volition. Gorzela subsequently sued the actor for sexual battery. According to TMZ, “The sexual battery claim was dropped and the only thing Mark admitted to was negligently causing her to fall and injure herself.” Salling was forced by the judge to pay Gorzela a total of $2,710,155.
5. He Faces a Minimum Sentence of 5 Years and Maximum Sentence of 20 Years
Police found thousands of images of child porn after seizing Salling’s laptop. (Getty)
If convicted, Salling faces a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison for the crime, and a maximum of 20 years. “On the charge of possessing child porn, he could receive 20 years.”