Ex-church youth counselor pleads not guilty to child porn charges

A Newport Beach man who served as a youth counselor at an Orange County church pleaded not guilty Friday to child pornography charges, according to federal officials.

Authorities arrested Todd Christian Hartman on Friday morning, two days after the 32-year-old, who worked with children at Vineyard Church of Anaheim, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography and two counts of distributing child pornography. The charges stem from alleged activities in the past two years, according to court records.

Federal officials said they notified the church about their suspicions after a February raid on Hartman’s home, where investigators reported finding more than 400 videos and 300 photos of child porn that they believe Hartman downloaded or distributed online.

“Some of those videos featured children as young as 8 or 9,” according to a news release from federal officials.

Officials said they suspect that Hartman used peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to collect and share pornography.

The church is cooperating with local and federal investigators who are trying to determine whether Hartman committed any crimes involving children at the church, according to the release.

“These allegations are particularly disturbing in light of the defendant’s access to children,” Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles, said in a statement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ivy Wang said she’s unsure how long Hartman was a youth counselor.

Hartman is being held without bail, Wang said. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the possession charge, and each of the distribution counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.