Former Pennsylvania State Representative Jesse White is facing federal child pornography charges following an investigation by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), according to court documents filed this week.
The FBI executed a federal search warrant at White’s Mechanicsburg home and seized multiple computers and hard drives. The FBI says it recovered approximately 100 files depicting child pornography on a laptop. According to court records, forensic examination of a laptop recovered from the home revealed files containing images depicting minors ranging in age from 7 to 15.
Investigators launched the inquiry after NCMEC’s CyberTipline flagged reports regarding illegal material uploaded or accessed through network accounts tied to White. Court filings state that during questioning, White allegedly admitted to federal agents that he utilized encrypted messaging platform Telegram and the Tor network to locate and access the explicit content.
White, a Democrat, served four terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015, representing the 46th Legislative District, which covers portions of Washington, Allegheny, and Beaver counties in Western Pennsylvania.
During his time in office, White was a vocal figure in state politics before losing his re-election bid in 2014. Following his legislative career, White practiced law until his license was suspended in 2017 amid allegations of financial misappropriation.
Federal authorities have not yet announced a formal court date for White’s initial appearance on the charges.
