A former city official pled not guilty Wednesday to eight counts of distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography, according to the California U.S. Attorney’s office.
Albert Noah Abrams, 63, was charged with five counts of distributing, two counts of receipt and one count of possession of child pornography.
He surrendered himself Wednesday morning to FBI special agents.
Abrams was president of the City of Los Angeles’ Board of Neighborhood Commissions until Aug. 2011, when he resigned days after federal authorities searched his Tarzana residence, according to Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office.
A search warrant was granted after authorities reported that they were able to use a file-sharing network to download more than 150 videos and images depicting child pornography from a computer located in Abram’s house, according to an indictment.
The indictment describes a handful of documents, many of which allude to a 5 year old in their titles, as being among those believed to be possessed by Abrams.
Prosecutors said over two decades, Abrams amassed a collection of thousands of images.
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Abrams told reporters late last year that a tumor on his spine compelled him to acquire the images.
If convicted of all counts in the indictment, Abrams could face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison up to a statutory maximum sentence of 150 years.
The trial is scheduled for April 24.
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