Son of Ryan Routh, the man arrested in connection with the second apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, has been arrested on federal charges of possession of child pornography.
Investigators say they discovered “hundreds” of files containing child pornography during a search of Oran Routh’s home in Guilford County, North Carolina, on Saturday conducted “in connection with an investigation unrelated to child exploitation.”
The two charges he faces include receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography.
The “unrelated investigation” involved Routh’s father — who remains in custody after a judge ordered him detained pending trial Monday — a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Carolina confirmed to ABC News.
Investigators said the pornography was found on a Samsung Galaxy Note device located inside Oran Routh’s primary bedroom at the residence, as well as another Galaxy Note device in Routh’s possession.
“An examination of the SD card found in Device-1 revealed that it contained hundreds of child pornography files,” prosecutors wrote in the criminal complaint. “These files include videos from a known child pornography series created outside the state of North Carolina.”
The seal of the Department of Justice is seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington on May 16, 2023.
Jose Luis Magana/AP, FIL
The complaint included graphic descriptions of the videos and a July chat in which Oran Routh allegedly responded to someone who advertised the content for sale.
Oran Routh will make an initial appearance in North Carolina federal court later Tuesday.
He does not yet have an attorney listed for him.
His father, Ryan Routh, 58, has been charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number for the Sept. 15 incident at Trump International Golf Club. Prosecutors said Monday they intend to ask a grand jury to consider an indictment that Ryan Routh tried to assassinate Trump.