WILMINGTON, N.C. – A former Raleigh Santa and magician for children’s parties pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography.
Leander Dewey Jones, 64, of Raleigh appeared in federal court Monday where he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Jones, who was employed as a Santa Claus and magician, was discovered producing child porn of his two grandchildren while they were in his care, documents show.
On May 29, 2015, Jones brought his computer in for repair. While examining the computer for viruses and malware, the computer technician located a folder containing child porn.
The technician alerted the store owner. The owner then called Raleigh Police, who issued a search warrant of the computer and found about 4,000 images of child porn on Jones’ computer as well as on external hard drives.
Authorities also found about 1,000 images of child porn on CD’s and other discs.
Jones faces up to 30 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 1.