Ex-ABC News Reporter James Gordon Meek Faces Child Pornography Charge After FBI Raid

James Gordon Meek, an Emmy-winning journalist and investigative reporter who worked for ABC News, was arrested on a criminal charge for alleged transportation of child pornography, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Court documents noted the investigation into Meek, 53, kicked off in March 2021 from a lead sent via Dropbox that made its way to the FBI Washington Field Offices Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Law enforcement seized multiple devices found during a court-authorized search of Meek's residence in April 2022, several of which allegedly contained images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The Arlington resident, known by some for breaking several high-profile terrorism and national security-related stories, resides on the top floor of a luxury apartment building.

He was taken into custody on Tuesday night, according to authorities.

As we previously learned, Meek departed from ABC right after the raid.

A spokesperson for the network previously told Rolling Stone, "He resigned very abruptly and hasn't worked for us for months."

During the search, police discovered further conversations with online users during which the participants "expressed enthusiasm for the sexual abuse of children," according to a press release.

A username allegedly associated with Meek — Pawny4 — is accused of receiving and distributing child sexual abuse materials.

In one described instance, the username engaged in a chat in which he described a fantasy of "abducting, drugging, and raping" a 12-year-old.

Per the FBI affidavit, a girl who was interviewed by authorities "confirmed that Meek and other men had approached her through Snapchat and had pressured her to provide pictures depicting sexually explicit conduct."

If the embattled former reporter is found guilty of the crime, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Meek's attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, said he could provide evidence to show his client was not a danger to the community in a court filing on Wednesday while his trial is pending.