LEVITTOWN, PA — Gary Margerum, 69, of Levittown, entered a plea of guilty on Wednesday before United States District Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone to one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Margerum was charged by indictment in June 2025 after an investigation by the Bucks County District Attorney's office found child pornography on his phone.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office launched an investigation on Jan. 2, 2025, after receiving a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip concerned a messaging app account, later identified as belonging to Margerum, that had shared child sexual abuse material, specifically, a sexually explicit image of a prepubescent female.
In April, Bucks County investigators, along with agents of Homeland Security Investigations, executed a search warrant at Margerum's home, with his iPhone among the items seized.
During a forensic examination of the phone, law enforcement recovered approximately 187 images that qualify as child pornography. The images depicted prepubescent children, including children as young as infants and toddlers, being sexually abused by adults.
Margerum is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17 and faces a maximum possible term of 40 years in prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release, with a mandatory minimum of five years' imprisonment and five years of supervised release. In addition, he faces mandatory financial penalties and mandatory registration as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and Megan's Law.
The case was investigated by the Bucks County Detectives and HSI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and Alisa Shver.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Levittown Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.