MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Former Pennsylvania State Representative Jesse White is facing federal charges after FBI investigators say they found child sexual abuse material on electronic devices seized from his home.
According to a federal affidavit, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received Cyber Tip reports from Google. The reports alleged possession, distribution and possible production of child sexual abuse material, including files investigators said appeared unfamiliar and possibly homemade.
The FBI says agents executed a search warrant Tuesday at White’s home in Mechanicsburg, where they seized two laptops and multiple external hard drives. According to the affidavit, investigators found numerous files containing suspected child sexual abuse material, including approximately 100 files on one external drive.
Police say the files depicted children as young as five years old, with the majority of children between seven and fifteen.
Investigators also allege White admitted to using Telegram, qBittorrent and the Tor browser to access what he described as “inappropriate content.” According to the affidavit, White later told investigators he was referring to child pornography and acknowledged they would find that material on the devices seized during the search.
White, who represented Pennsylvania’s 46th Legislative District from 2007 until 2014, has faced legal troubles in the past. His law license was suspended, and he was later disbarred following theft-related charges. He also publicly apologized after admitting he operated fake online accounts used to attack political opponents.
Channel 11 also spoke with Cecil Township Supervisor Darlene Barni, who knew White during his years in Washington County politics. She said she was shocked to learn of the federal charges.
“My text messages just blew up,” Barni said. “I’ve gotten texts from people I haven’t heard from in five or six years.”
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
