Ex-‘Glee’ star Mark Salling surrenders in child porn case

LOS ANGELES – An actor who starred on the musical dramedy “Glee” surrendered to federal authorities Friday in a child pornography case and is awaiting his first court appearance.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Matthew Cordova said Mark Salling, 33, and his attorney reported to a downtown Los Angeles courthouse Friday morning and that the actor was scheduled to be arraigned in the afternoon.

Salling, who played bad-boy Noah “Puck” Puckerman on the series, is scheduled to be arraigned on two charges of receiving and possessing child pornography after a grand jury indicted him last week.

Prosecutors are requesting that the actor remain in custody while his case remains pending, stating that they consider him a flight risk and are concerned about whether he would appear for future hearings if released on bail.

Salling was arrested at his home last December after Los Angeles police officers and federal agents seized a laptop, hard drive and flash drive they say contained images and videos depicting child pornography.

He was charged with one count of using the Internet to obtain a pornographic still image and video of young girls and a second count of possessing two other child porn videos that also featured young girls.

If convicted, he could face as much as 20 years in prison on each of the charges.

Salling’s publicist did not return an email seeking comment.

The actor is best known for his long-running role on “Glee,” which aired from 2009 to 2015. He also released an album, “Pipe Dreams,” in 2010.

He shared a Screen Actors Guild award with the “Glee” cast in 2010 when the show was honoured for outstanding TV comedy ensemble.