Mark Salling, who played Puck on Fox’s Glee, went to court today to formally plead guilty to possession of child pornography.
The actor worked out a plea deal back in October, agreeing to admit to his crimes and take a sentence of 4-7 years in prison.
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However, according to a report by The Blast, the judge told Salling today that he could still easily be given the maximum sentence of 20 years. The sentencing won’t take place until March. In the meantime, Salling is out on bail.
In addition to the upcoming sentence, Salling has been ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to any of the victims who request it from him. That could be a lot, as prosecutors say there were more than 50,000 images on Salling’s computer when it was confiscated, with children as young as three years old appearing in the pictures.
Salling will also have to enter a treatment program and register as a sex offender. He’s legally forbidden from communicating with any person under the age of 18 without a parent or guardian supervising.
Reports say Salling appeared in court today with a shaved head, looking pale. He reportedly told the judge he was on medication to treat his depression.
Shortly after coming the plea agreement in October, Salling allegedly attempted suicide by cutting his wrists. He and his lawyers continue to deny this claim.
Salling is accused of using software to block his IP address while he downloaded the enormous stash of child pornography from April to December of 2015. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, he was caught after he showed some of the images to an adult woman. After he’d showed them to her twice, she reported him to the police, who began their investigation.
