ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A former agent with the state Attorney General’s Allentown office could spend the rest of his life in prison after admitting to having child pornography, according to authorities.
Joshua Gonzalez, 40, of South Whitehall Township, on Monday pleaded guilty in Lehigh County Court to 20 counts of possessing child pornography, the District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Bail was revoked at a hearing Monday before Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg and Gonzalez was taken into custody.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received tips in October 2022 and April 2023 that someone posted child-pornography videos online.
A Lehigh County detective traced those videos to Gonzalez’s computer, authorities said when Gonzalez was charged in November 2023.
John Waldron, Gonzalez’s attorney, in a statement said he was “shocked” and “blindsided” that his client’s bail was revoked at Monday’s hearing, during which Gonzalez's wife suffered “a medical incident in the courtroom.”
“He is not a bail risk,” Waldron said, adding Gonzalez cooperated with authorities and abided by all conditions of his $50,000 bail set in November 2023.
Gonzalez is due to be sentenced March 31.
He faces 70 to 140 years in prison, as there is no plea agreement, the release states.