Former Head of L.A. Neighborhood Commission to Plead Guilty in Child Porn Case

A Tarzana man who quit an unpaid Los Angeles city job after FBI agents found a massive kiddie porn stash at his home has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges, according to court papers obtained Friday.   

Al Abrams, 64, is scheduled to plead guilty Sept. 14 to a felony count of distribution of child pornography he had received over the Internet, according to a signed plea agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court.

In the document, Abrams acknowledged having collected more than 600
images of child pornography over the course of more than 10 years. The collection contained images of children under 12, including infants, "engaging in sexually explicit conduct'' and portraying "sadistic or masochistic'' activity, according to the agreement filed last week.

Abrams was charged last February in an eight-count indictment that accused him of distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography.

In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors will recommend that Abrams receive a sentence of between five and eight years in prison, lifetime supervised release and a fine of $5,000, court papers show.   

Abrams resigned in August 2011 as president of the seven-member Board of
Neighborhood Commissioners, which oversees the neighborhood councils that
provide a link between local communities and Los Angeles City Hall.

Abrams, who had served on the board since 2008, owns a public relations
firm and has worked on ballot measures in Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and
Walnut Creek.

According to an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant, federal authorities looking into a peer-to-peer file-sharing network were able to download more than 150 videos and images depicting child porn from a computer at Abrams' house.

After his house was searched in 2011, he told a TV station that a now-excised growth on his spine left him with a split personality that compelled
him to do what normally would have been out of character.