Credit: Bucks County Detectives
A former police officer and fire official pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to charges stemming from a child sexual abuse material case.
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Gary Margerum, 69, of the Levittown section of Falls Township, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone to one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The investigation began early in 2025 after the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTip regarding a messaging application account linked to Margerum.
Federal officials and court filings said the account had transmitted child sexual abuse material, including an explicit photo of a prepubescent girl.
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On or about April 4, 2025, detectives from Bucks County and agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Margerum’s Falls Township home.
Investigators seized his iPhone, which yielded approximately 187 illicit images during a subsequent forensic inspection, authorities said.
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According to law enforcement, the files depicted adult abuse of prepubescent children, including infants and toddlers.
Margerum was first arrested and charged by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. County authorities stayed their prosecution after the U.S. Department of Justice returned an indictment in June of last year.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 17, and Margerum faces a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison alongside a potential lifetime term of supervised release. The offenses carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and five years of supervised release and mandatory financial penalties. Margerum will also be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
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Margerum has a history with law enforcement.
In 1988, while working as a Tullytown Borough police officer, he was charged with kissing and fondling a 15-year-old girl. The case led to a sentence of probation and community service. After those records resurfaced in 2016, Margerum stepped down from his role as president of the Falls Township Fire Company.
In 2018, Margerum and another fire official were accused of stealing funds from the volunteer fire company. He received probation, community service, and an order to pay more than $10,000 in restitution to the organization.
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U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said the child sexual abuse material prosecution was conducted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative started in May 2006 to target child sexual abuse and exploitation nationwide.
