'Glee' star Mark Salling's estate may not pay child pornography victims
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Glee” star Mark Salling’s estate may not pay the victims linked to his child pornography case due to the lack of a restitution order, a report stated.
A source told Us Weekly that the victims might not get paid because Salling was not sentenced before his death Tuesday, and a restitution order was not put in place by a judge.
“Restitution would be a part of his sentence. The amount of the restitution is determined by the sentencing judge … He will not be sentenced. Therefore there will be no restitution order,” the source told Us Weekly. “Therefore I doubt that there is anything to take to civil court. Any restitution order would be allocated among multiple known victims.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MARK SALLING DEAD; ‘GLEE’ STAR WAS FACING PRISON FOR CHILD PORN POSSESSION
Salling, who died Tuesday morning in the Los Angeles area at 35, was set to be sentenced on March 7 in a child pornography possession case. In October, the actor pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
The actor reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in which he admitted he possessed images of prepubescent children. The agreement stated a search warrant found more than 50,000 images of child porn on Salling's computer and a thumb drive.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Salling died of an apparent suicide and his body was found in California’s Tujunga-Sunland area. A law enforcement official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about Salling, told TMZ he was found hanging in a riverbed area in the Tujunga neighborhood.
NAYA RIVERA MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE SINCE MARK SALLING’S DEATH
Defense attorney Troy Slaten, who was not involved in the “Glee” actor’s case, told Us Weekly that his victims could sue for restitution.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Just because the criminal case is going to be dismissed does not mean his estate is off the hook financially. Any victims can sue his estate in civil court and receive monetary awards for damages. These awards can be in the neighborhood of hundred of thousands of dollars or even in the millions,” Slaten stated.
The attorney explained the victims do not “have to prove liability” in court because Salling pleaded guilty.
Fox News' Leora Arnowitz and Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report.