Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesUPDATE: Mark Salling pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography and was released from custody. A trial date was set for July 12.
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Glee alum Mark Salling was arraigned on federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography at a Los Angeles court Friday.
The 33-year-old actor, who played Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the musical series, maintained a neutral expression as he arrived at the courthouse with his lawyer. He appeared clean-shaven, wore his hair slicked to the side and sported a navy blue jacket, dark pants and white button-up shirt.
Salling was last week indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of child pornography. The indictment alleges he had obtained and possessed pornographic photos and video depicting young girls.
Police arrested the actor in December after raiding his home in Sunland, California and seizing a laptop, a hard drive, and a USB flash drive that the U.S. Attorney's Office's says "contained thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography." He was then released on a $20,000 bond.
The charge of receiving child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years while the charge of possessing child pornography also carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
Following the indictment, the actor was fired from an upcoming acting project, the mini-series Gods and Secrets.
"He has been cut from the mini-series, I will personally be paying for the reshoots, and I hope that Mark finds inner peace. Furthermore, a percentage of profits from the project will go to a charity for abused children," director Adi Shankar said in a statement. "The innocence of our planet's children is something that must be protected at all costs."