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The 33-year-old
Salling surrendered to authorities at the federal courthouse in
downtown Los Angeles before entering not guilty pleas to the two
charges, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's
Office for the region.
An attorney for Salling could not be immediately reached for
comment on Friday afternoon. Mrozek said Salling would likely be
freed on Friday on $150,000 bond. A trial date was set for July
12, he said.
The federal charges against the Texas-born Salling for receipt
and possession of child pornography stem from his arrest by Los
Angeles police and federal agents on Dec. 29, 2015. He was
released on bail of $20,000 and was initially expected to be
charged in Los Angeles County court.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that as a result of the
investigation, the case was handed over to federal prosecutors.
The charges against the actor center on a still image and three
videos of child pornography depicting young girls, prosecutors
said. The two charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years
in federal prison.
On the award-winning Fox television show "Glee," which ran from
2009 to 2015, Salling played Puck, a bully and a football player
who showed a softer side when he joined the glee club at his
high school.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Bill
Rigby)
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