ABINGTON TOWNSHIP MAN CHARGED WITH DISTRIBUTING AND POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

NORRISTOWN, Pa. – Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Abington Township Police Chief William J. Kelly and the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announce the arrest of Russell Gellman, 43, of Abington Township, for felony charges of Distribution of Child Pornography, Possession of Child Pornography and Criminal Use of a Communication Device. In March 2016, Abington Township Detective Richard Beaghley received from ICAC a cyber tip that originated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that an image of child pornography depicting a prepubescent female child, approximately 10 years old, having sexual intercourse with a man, was uploaded to a computer email address in the area. The investigation traced the email address to Gellman’s home in the Glenside section of Abington Township. Detective Beaghley along with other ICAC affiliated detectives served a search warrant on Gellman’s home on May 26, 2016, when an Apple iPad was seized.

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
KEVIN R. STEELE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE (610) 278-3090 DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S FAX (610) 278-3095 COUNTY DETECTIVE BUREAU (610) 278-3368

COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY COURTHOUSE P.O. BOX 311 NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA 19404-0311
Gellman was arrested September 7, 2016 and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Juanita A. Price. He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail and ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children and no Internet usage. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 12:45 p.m., on October 27, 2016 before Judge Price. Major Crimes Detectives of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, along with specially trained and sworn detectives from police departments in Montgomery County, routinely work with the ICAC Task Force to protect children from Internet predators by aggressively and proactively investigating Internet crimes that exploit children. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney M. Stewart Ryan, who is the Captain of the Sex Crimes Unit.

Approved for release:
Edward F. McCann, Jr. First Assistant District Attorney

CRIMINAL CHARGES, AND ANY DISCUSSION THEREOF, ARE MERELY ALLEGATIONS AND ALL DEFENDANTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.